MEDFORD - The Tufts University men's basketball team narrowly avoided defeat twice and came away with an 84-82 overtime victory against UMass Dartmouth in non-conference action at Cousens Gym on Tuesday night. Two steals and four free throws by Tufts freshman Ben Ferris (Essex Junction, VT) in the final 10 seconds of overtime ultimately made the difference.
Both at the end of regulation and late in overtime, the visiting Corsairs had opportunities to put the game away. However, it wasn't meant to be. The Jumbos would win for the seventh time in eight games and improve to 15-5. UMass Dartmouth lost for the eighth time in nine games, dropping to 10-10.
Trailing 74-73 with the ball and 7.1 seconds remaining in the second half, UMass Dartmouth missed two shots before senior Paul Rose (Boston, MA) was fouled while grabbing an offensive rebound. He went to the line with 0.2 seconds on the clock. His first free throw hung on the rim before falling off, but he made the second to send the game into overtime tied 74-74.
The visitors had a four-point, 82-78 lead with two minutes remaining in overtime. They had two opportunities to push the margin to six, but could not take advantage of them. The Jumbos closed to within 82-80 on a jumper at 0:44 by sophomore guard Kwame Firempong (Inglewood, CA), who had 12 points in the second half and OT.
UMass Dartmouth turned the ball over with Ferris making the steal and getting fouled with 10 seconds left. He made a pair of free throws to tie the score at 82-82. With six seconds left after a Corsair time-out, the visitors turned the ball over again on the in-bounds play with Ferris again getting the steal and getting fouled. He swished the two freebies for an 84-82 Jumbo lead. The Corsairs had plenty of time to get up the court for a potential winning shot, but a three by Rose was short and the final buzzer sounded.
UMass Dartmouth led for the majority of the game. They were up 37-35 at the half behind Rose's 13 points on 5 for 7 shooting and 3 for 4 on threes. They expanded the margin to eight (44-36) with a 7-1 run out of the locker room in the second half. However, Tufts answered with a 11-2 stretch featuring five points from junior tri-captain Scott Anderson (Sudbury, MA) to take a 47-46 advantage.
A lay-up by senior Colin Burns (Chepachet, RI) and a three-pointer by Rose gave the Corsairs a 53-49 lead with 11:20 remaining. They would hold a slim advantage for most of the next eight minutes. However, a three-pointer by Firempong at 3:20 tied the score at 70-70. UMass Dartmouth senior captain Alex Klepadlo (Bernardston, MA) answered with a three, but then Firempong hit another one to tie the score at 73-73 with 2:08 remaining.
A free throw by Anderson at 1:18 to put Tufts up 74-73 was the only point of the final two minutes until Rose's last-second free throw sent the game to overtime. Free throws by freshman Alex Rodrigues (Fall River, MA) and Klepadlo gave the Corsairs an edge in OT, but they would not hold on.
Anderson's 19 points led Tufts, while Firempong (3 for 3 on threes) finished with 17 and Ferris had 11 to go with nine rebounds and four steals. Sophomore Tom Folliard (Richmond, VA) finished with nine points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Oliver Cohen (Penn Valley, PA) scored nine points and had four assists. The Jumbos out-rebounded UMD 43-32.
Senior Lance Greene (Dorchester, MA) posted game-highs of 21 points and 12 rebounds, along with three assists. Rose had 19 points and three assists, while Rodrigues tallied 12 points. The Corsairs shot 51.7 percent (31/60) from the field.
Tufts returns to NESCAC play at home on Friday night against Trinity. Tip off is 8 pm. The Corsairs host Western Connecticut on Friday at 3 pm.