Heading into this year’s NESCAC quarterfinals, the Jumbos were chomping at the bit. Their last games, victories against Bates and Hamilton, went 70–63 and 102–71, respectively. Coming off of these wins, spirits were high as guests packed into Cousens Gym on Saturday.
Tufts won the tip-off and showed their hunger for a win immediately, driving into the paint with a screen and probing Colby’s defense.
“For any given team the playoffs can be your final game of the season, and for some players their career, so the intensity goes up a notch,” sophomore guard Lukas Schmid wrote in a message to the Daily.
20 seconds into the play clock, Colby incurred the first foul, awarding Tufts two free throws. The Jumbos drilled both and marked the clock 2–0, boding well for the rest of the game. Colby responded quickly with a 3-pointer, and were shot down immediately by two Tufts buckets, making the score 7–3.
The game proved to be incredibly physical, with Jumbos and Mules alike blocking heavily and firing shots up from under the net. Tufts landed a reverse shot around the back, taking the game 9–3, to which Colby responded with another 3-pointer, 9–6. Both teams were relentless, and the Jumbos particularly were unafraid to break up the Mules’ defense with aggressive drives to the restricted area. Continually, Tufts positioned 6-foot-11 senior center Joshua Bernstein under the net to land floaters around the Colby defense. It worked, and, despite a retaliatory 3-pointer by Colby, Tufts maintained the lead. A 3-pointer by Colby still failed to shatter the Tufts lead, bringing the score to 13–12.
“We play every team once so when playoff time comes we’re playing against teams that know our tendencies and plays,” Schmid wrote. “As a result, our scoring gets much tougher so teams have to be more physical and intense.”
Colby’s play style became clearer as the half went on, with punishing 3-pointers keeping the team within striking distance while Tufts answered through the paint and at the line. Bernstein and senior forward Scott Gyimesi helped steady the Jumbos through a fast, physical stretch, bringing the score to 19–15. Free throws became increasingly important, and after Colby tied it at 27–27, Tufts quickly answered and stayed in front, later moving back ahead 43–41 after a Mule foul sent the Jumbos to the line.
The pace stayed high through the final minutes of the half, with both teams trading scores and free throws. Colby hit two more 3-pointers, but Tufts carried a 52–48 lead into halftime.
The second half opened in a frantic rhythm, but Tufts soon settled in defensively and forced Colby into tougher looks. For a few minutes, Gyimesi and Mules’ center Dan Civello dominated the court against each other, responding to each others’ plays with almost reflexive speed as the score ticked up. Tufts’ first-year guard Ricardo Nieves launched himself across the paint to slam a shot, taking the score 63–57 with 15:36 on the game clock. The resulting foul by Colby that sent Nieves sprawling gave Tufts a free throw, after which Tufts began to lay the hammer on Colby.
Senior guard James Morakis dodged around defenders to pitch the ball in the net and the iron clad Tufts defense began to crack Colby’s offensive confidence, with shots bouncing off the rim left and right. To add salt to the wound, Nieves launched himself to the rim of the basket, sinking an electric slam dunk that blew the top off Cousens Gym, with the crowd erupting into screaming, stomping and whistling.
The Jumbos continued to be unafraid of contact, with blue and white jerseys continually clashing under the net, blocking each others’ shots despite evidently extensive communication across both teams. As Colby tried to gain momentum and sank a bucket, Tufts shut them out and sophomore forward Robbie Nyamwaya gained possession to dunk one-handed, bumping the score up to 74–66.
Once again, Cousens went ballistic, with Jumbos fans erupting in celebration that only quieted after the referees called for further Jumbo free throws, following a foul by the Mules. Tufts made the shot and the cracks in their confidence began to show as Colby made a fruitless drive for the Tufts net. A wrap-around double screen and high-flying shots came to nothing, as the defense valiantly held off the Mules.
A strong rebound was picked away and intercepted by Tufts, then driven into the paint through contact by junior forward Zion Watt to secure a basket, even as he went flying after the shot. A free throw for contact gave Tufts an extra point. Another shot for Colby was once again responded to as Bernstein hooked around a defender with his left hand to take the score, 80–68. Tufts remained composed as the pace slowed and the game moved into its closing stretch.
Nieves added another highlight dunk, and the closing minutes became stop-and-start as both teams entered the bonus and traded free throws, bumping the score to 86–77. Tufts stayed in control down the stretch, added a late 3-pointer and closed out a 99–84 win to advance to the next round of the NESCAC playoffs against Trinity.
