The men's basketball team fell 60−56 to No. 7 MIT on Saturday in front of a packed Cousens Gymnasium, as the Engineers finished the game with a 12−2 run to remain undefeated. The Jumbos have now failed to win a home game since Feb. 12 of last season, when they defeated Bates in their regular−season finale.
Saturday's game came down to the final seconds. With 1:17 left to play, a free throw from junior tri−captain forward Scott Anderson tied the game at 56. But MIT made good on its next possession, as junior guard Mitchell Kates converted a layup to take the lead with 21 seconds to go.
Tufts had a chance to send it to overtime on their own court for the third time this season, but Kates had other plans. Following a Tufts timeout, he swiped the ball from sophomore point guard Kwame Firempong at half court. The Jumbos immediately fouled, and Kates drained two free throws to seal the 60−56 win.
"I think they had an obvious size advantage," senior forward Alex Orchowski said. "That made it difficult for us to control the boards as we have in past games. I also think they did a great job executing their sets on offense. They displayed patience and waited to take quality shots, which is something I think our team can learn from."
Leading up to the final minutes, it was anybody's game. The first half was close, with MIT's lead peaking at eight just two minutes before intermission. Neither team shot over 41 percent for the half, yet the Engineers held a 29−23 edge, propelled by an 18−6 advantage in the paint.
"I thought our big men played great defense," said sophomore forward Tom Folliard, who had seven points and three rebounds. "A majority of [MIT's] offense revolves around forcing it inside, so that discrepancy [in paint scoring] is expected. Also, they have good post players who were making some tough shots."
After the break, Orchowski set the tone with a dunk just 18 seconds in. That set the Jumbos in motion and, with less than 16 minutes remaining, they began their comeback. Tufts staged a 14−7 run, capped by back−to−back scores from freshman guard C.J. Moss. The scoring spurt gave the hosts their first lead of the half with just over eight minutes to play.
The two teams then traded one−point leads until another Moss layup at 6:29 sparked the squad a second time. From there, two free throws from Anderson and a three from Moss gave Tufts its biggest lead of the game — 54−48 — with five minutes to play. But from there, the Engineers seized control, going on an 8−1 run to regain the lead before sending Anderson to the line.
"We were a bit frantic, whereas MIT was more composed," Orchowski said. "They capitalized on their opportunities and showed why they're a top−10 team."
Tufts was led by a strong performance from Orchowski, who went 7−8 from the field, good for 18 points. He also had 13 rebounds to complete his double−double. Moss added 11 points, nine of which came in the second half.
The Jumbos went 10−for−14 from the line in the second half MIT held a 14−8 edge in offensive rebounds. Tufts was also plagued by some careless ball handling — every Jumbo who played committed at least one turnover.
Still, it was an impressive performance against a top−10 program.
"We need to realize that we can play with some good teams," Orchowski said. "But if we want to improve, we need to play more consistently and treat every game like it's against a top−10 opponent."
After a few weeks off for winter break, the Jumbos will return to action at Gordon on Jan. 3 before beginning their NESCAC slate three days later.
