Tufts came into Friday fired up for their matchup against Pennsylvania State University Harrisburg that seemed sure to go in their favor. Outmatching the Nittany Lions’ offensive stats and looming over their starting line up physically, a win for the Jumbos looked promising at the tip off.
This assurance, however, was rattled as Penn State Harrisburg drilled a bucket less than a minute into the game, followed by two rare wedgies in response from Tufts. After Penn State Harrisburg nailed another shot, Tufts finally made it on to the scoreboard with a 3-pointer just over three minutes into the game, making it 4–3 in favor of Penn State Harrisburg.
Noticeably missing from the starting lineup was senior forward Scott Gyimesi who, after suffering an ankle injury over two weeks ago, was unable to play. “[Gyimesi’s] injury definitely impacts us as a team. He’s the best player in the country, so losing someone like him definitely impacts us. That being said, we have a next man up approach so everyone delivered even with him being out,” sophomore guard Lukas Schmid wrote in a message to the Daily.
As the two teams took shots on each other’s nets, the importance of defense in this game became apparent. As best they could, both teams ran down each other’s shot clocks, forcing the offense to take desperate measures to put numbers on the board. Threes flew through the air, whistling feet away from the net. Even free throws awarded after the first few penalties went nowhere, and, despite best efforts to penetrate the paint, neither team seemed willing to give up ground.
The score began to rise. The Jumbos pushed through contact after a turnover to score, bringing the count to 10–6 in the Jumbos’ favor, but the Nittany Lions were given two free throws, which they drilled. Penn State Harrisburg kept utilizing full court presses to try and pressure Tufts, but to no avail. Tufts took advantage of an empty court to try and charge the net, but the promising shot was tipped back by the fingers of a Penn State Harrisburg guard. With 10 minutes on the clock, first-year guard Ricardo Nieves went up for a shot, laying out like a high jumper soaring over a pole to score again for Tufts. Almost immediately after they gained possession, the Nittany Lions lost the ball again, with the Jumbos turning back into the empty paint to hit a clean layup. The score read 15–8.
In response, a slew of turnovers occurred between each team, as players ran each other ragged with very few substitutions. Despite being low-scoring, several free throw exchanges allowed the score to creep up to 19–16 for Tufts, with high-flying passes and blue jerseys leaping up to catch the ball on each exchange. As the play clock dwindled, junior guard Jon Medley sank a 3-pointer, sending Cousens Gymnasium into an eruption of cheers and bringing the score to 24–16. Penn State Harrisburg tried desperately to claw their way back up the scoreboard and managed to get the score 24–21 with just a minute left in the first half. However, Tufts widened the gap once more with a barrage of corner threes to send the game into halftime with a score of 27–21 in the Jumbos’ favor.
The second half of the game felt like an inverse of the first, with both the score and the foul rate creeping up. Penn State Harrisburg received a foul less than a minute in, and despite having four separate free throws and strong shooting statistics, Tufts failed to get any of them to connect. Soon after, Tufts fouled Penn State Harrisburg, who likewise failed to score on the free throws. Whether it was this or the soul-crushing capacity of Tufts’ strong defense, Penn State Harrisburg’s offense began to crumble, with shaky passes and shots on net that went nowhere.
By contrast, the Jumbos unleashed a punishing arsenal of shots on the Nittany Lions. Finally, after a rough first few minutes of the half, the Lions seemed to pull themselves together and put the pedal to the metal, with both teams fighting for control of the scoreboard. By the time they had settled into their offensive grooves, the board read 40–33 for Tufts nearly eight minutes into the half.
This score didn’t last long, though, as sophomore forward Robbie Nyamwaya one-hand slammed a bucket in to make the score 42–36. Nieves followed up with a high-flying, ankle-breaking shot and, later, a beautiful 3-pointer. The crowd came alive throughout the second half, screaming and stomping for exciting plays, and moaning and groaning as the referees called foul after foul on each team.
The referees’ frequent whistle blowing didn’t stop either team trying to generate pressure on the other. Even as free throws and fouls interrupted game play, the Jumbos charged across the court with determination each time they got the ball back. The Nittany Lions, desperately trying to stay in the game, were unable to conquer the Jumbos’ defensive pressure and failed to get anything to connect with the net. As the clock ran down, a few scores were still exchanged, with both teams largely relying on free throws. With only a few minutes left, victory for the Jumbos looked less guaranteed as the score gap closed, but at 62–58 with 30 seconds on the board, the Jumbos gained possession and were able to lock up the final score at 65–60, sending the Nittany Lions home.
“We’re looking forward to playing against the best in the country and getting a real evaluation of how good we really are,” Schmid wrote on how the team felt about the rest of the tournament. Tufts went on to win its second round game against Catholic University and will head on the road to take on Wesleyan University on Saturday for the third round of the NCAA tournament.
