NORTH DARTMOUTH, MA – Visiting Tufts built a 36-26 halftime lead and went on to defeat the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth's men's basketball team, 64-51, in a non-conference game at the Tripp Athletic Center Tuesday evening. The win was the seventh straight for head coach Bob Shelson's Jumbos.

The Jumbos made 45.2 percent (14/31) of their shots from the field in the first half, including 4 of 6 from three-point range. Tufts used a 14-5 run to build a 30-17 advantage with 6:24 left in the first half before the Corsairs rallied to cut the lead to 10 points at halftime.

The Corsairs narrowed the margin to 37-30 early in the second half, but the Jumbos responded with a 10-0 run that put them ahead 47-30 with 14:11 remaining in regulation. Sophomore guard Ben Ferris (Essex Junction, VT) and senior forward Scott Anderson (Sudbury, MA) both had four points during the stretch.

Ferris led Tufts with 15 points, making 5 of 6 shots from the field. Anderson added 12 points and 10 rebounds, while junior guard Kwame Firepong (Inglewood, CA) had 10 points.

Freshman center Wale Abraham (Lynn, MA) led UMass Dartmouth with 13 points, while junior guard John Genkos (Worcester, MA) added 11.

The Jumbos earned a +18 margin on the boards, 49-31. In addition to 10 by Anderson and nine by Ferris, freshman Tom Palleschi (Haverhill, MA) added eight.

The Corsairs dropped to 3-16 with the defeat, while the Jumbos improved to 13-7 with the victory. UMass Dartmouth will return to action when they host Salem State Thursday evening in the second game of a double-header. Tufts will visit Trinity Friday as they return to conference play.

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