Ice Hockey: Tufts wins Rutland Herald Invitational
Despite tying Middlebury in its season opener, the Tufts ice hockey team came into the Rutland Herald Invitational, held at Castleton State in Rutland, Vt., looking to prove itself with its first victory of the year. After suffering a loss at Curry College on Tuesday, the Jumbos finally got one in the win column on Saturday, exploding for four third-period goals against Neumann to cap a 5-2 win. The victory seemed to give the team the momentum it needed, as it won the invitational by defeating the Castleton Spartans yesterday.
After Tufts junior Zach Diaco and Neumann sophomore Matthew Valois traded power-play goals in the first period on Saturday, the teams headed into the first intermission tied 1-1. The lone goal in the second period was scored by Neumann freshman Jordan Zalba, again on the power play.
From there, though, the game was all Tufts. Junior tri-captain Dylan Cooper opened the Jumbos' scoring barrage seconds into the third period to tie the game at two, before Trevor John notched the go-ahead, and what eventually proved to be the game-winning, goal three minutes later.
Senior Cory Korchin added his first of the season to stretch the Jumbos' lead to two, and junior Mike Vitale potted an empty-netter to cap an inspiring third-period comeback.
The win was all the more rousing because the Jumbos had been coming off a heartbreaking loss to the undefeated Curry Colonels by a score of 4-3 last Tuesday.
Tufts came into the matchup with an 0-1-1 record, following the tie versus Middlebury and loss to Williams in the team's opening weekend. Hoping to bounce back offensively after getting shut out by the Ephs last Saturday, the Jumbos scored three goals but could not contain the Colonels' attack.
Despite some resilient play, Tufts was unable to stop Curry from nabbing a goal in the final minutes to earn the victory, as Colonel senior co-captain Sean Sylvester put the puck past Jumbos sophomore goalie Scott Barchard with barely two minutes to play in the final frame. Sylvester's goal came on the power play, which proved to be the difference in the game: The Colonels went 2-3 on their power play opportunities on Tuesday, while Tufts went only 1-5.
The Jumbos earned a man advantage with a minute left to play and pulled their goalie with 39 seconds to go, but they weren't able to come back for the third time in the game, falling to 0-2-1 on the season with the loss.
The Jumbos, however, went on to win their next three games, including a win over Castleton in the final of the Rutland Herald Invitational. Five different players netted goals for Tufts against the Spartans, as the Jumbos won their second game in a row by a score of 5-2. The contest was never in doubt, as Tufts went up 4-0 before Castleton got on the scoreboard. The tournament victory was the team's first since the 2000 Coca-Cola Classic, and the Jumbos now stand at 2-2-1. Check tomorrow's Daily for further coverage.
-- by Adam Pardes
Men's Basketball: Terriers pull away in second half as Jumbos drop third straight
While the rest of the Tufts campus was home and hungry for a festive meal, the Tufts men's basketball team was home for its first game in the renovated Cousens Gym on Tuesday night and hungry for its first win of the early season. But while many home-fed students filled their stomachs over break, the hoopsters were left as famished as ever after an 85-71 loss to Thomas College. The loss dropped Tufts to 0-3 on the young season, while the visiting Terriers continued their undefeated season and moved to 4-0.
With the game deadlocked at 59-59, the 12th and final tie of the contest, and just under seven minutes to play, Thomas went on a 10-0 run highlighted by two layups from freshman Jarrad DeVaughn and a three-pointer by junior tri-captain Isaiah Brathwaite. During the stretch, Tufts went scoreless for nearly four minutes and only managed to attempt one shot while turning the ball over four times. Despite a valiant Tufts comeback attempt with a quick 10-4 spurt, the Terriers held off the Jumbos by hitting all 10 of their free throws down the stretch in the last two minutes.
Thomas junior guard Andrew Duncanson led the way for the Terriers, scoring 15 of his game-high 25 points in the second half -- a half that the Jumbos began leading 36-35. Until Thomas broke the game open late, the second half was a back-and-forth affair with neither team able to build a lead greater than five points. A Scott Anderson jumper gave Tufts a momentary lead at 56-51 advantage with 10 minutes to play, but the team could not hold on.
Anderson, a 6-foot-5 freshman, had 12 points in his first home appearance. Senior co-captain Dave Beyel led Tufts with 18 points, while classmate and co-captain Jon Pierce had 11 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. The Jumbos shot 46 percent from the field but committed 18 turnovers, including four during the crucial second-half stretch.
Thomas owned the offensive glass, racking up 15 offensive rebounds that generated 14 second-chance points. The work on the boards helped Thomas overcome a poor shooting night (just 40 percent from the field) and may have been the key factor in an otherwise hotly contested game.
Still searching for their first win, the Jumbos will be chomping at the bit when they travel to Lesley on Tuesday night, kicking off a grueling week that features four games in six days. -- by Alex Lach
Women's Basketball: Five Jumbos hit double digits in win over Endicott
Further proving itself as a serious threat in both NESCAC and national competition, the Tufts women's basketball team beat out Endicott on Tuesday by a score of 75-64 as the Jumbos handed the Gulls their first loss of the season.
Every starter for the Jumbos reached double figures, led by the effort of senior Julia Baily. She put up 20 points and 15 rebounds, her third double-double in as many games, helping the Jumbos continue their solid start to the 2009-10 season.
Though Endicott had two quick baskets to get an early 4-0 lead, Tufts countered with a momentum-swinging 20-6 run thanks largely to the efforts of junior Vanessa Miller, who scored seven points during the span for the Jumbos. Tufts continued to dominate for the rest of the half, leading by as many as 23 points and heading into intermission with a 36-17 lead.
Despite the numbers, Endicott remained resilient and fought back hard in the second half with a 13-0 run of its own, cutting the deficit down to nine points. However, back-to-back threes by junior Colleen Hart and sophomore Tiffany Kornegay around the 12-minute mark put the lead back up to 15 points. After an Endicott basket, the Jumbos hit consecutive threes again, this time from Hart and Miller, solidifying their cushion and elevating the score up to 59-40.
Endicott continued to battle and again cut the lead down to nine points, but a pair of late free throws from Miller sealed the win for the Jumbos. Kornegay joined Baily in the double-double club for Tufts with 12 points and 12 rebounds, while Endicott senior Ceciley Chisholm had a game-high 23 points, 21 of which she scored in the second half.
It was the fourth straight year the Jumbos have beaten Endicott, but for Tufts it was a far cry from last year's 92-67 bludgeoning of the Gulls. In that game, the Jumbos never trailed and emptied their entire bench. Tuesday, the Gulls made it interesting by shooting a blistering 73 percent from the field in the second half, although the deficit proved to be too much for them to counter, and Tufts still won by double digits.
The win left the Jumbos at 2-1, but a 60-50 victory over the nationally ranked No. 9 Brandeis Judges on Sunday helped the Jumbos continue their hot start and gave them a three-game winning streak. See tomorrow's Daily for further coverage. -- by Sarah Nasser
