Providence, R.I.--Rhode Island College freshman guard Jimmy Fritzson's (Sharon, MA) last second three-pointer went halfway down the cylinder before rattling out as the men's basketball team lost a non-conference battle with Tufts, 84-82, at The Murray Center on Saturday.

The Jumbos (3-1) scored the go-ahead basket with just 3.1 seconds remaining in the game when senior guard Stephen Haladyna (South Hamilton, MA) made a back door cut and converted a layup off a great pass by sophomore guard Vincent Pace (Bridgewater, NJ).

The Anchormen opened the first half strong, opening a 10-point, 23-13, lead with 13:06 left in the half when Fritzson made a runner in the lane. The Jumbos whittled the lead down to three, 25-22 on a layup by sophomore guard Stefan Duvivier (Fort Lauderdale, FL) with 11:16 left to play. Tufts knotted the game at 29-29 with 7:30 left in the half, but the Anchormen were able to extend their advantage down the stretch and took an eight point, 47-39, lead into the break.

The Anchormen shot a blistering 66.7 percent (20-for-30) from the field in the half and 71.4 percent (5-for-7) from three-point land. Tufts also shot well, shooting 61.9 percent (13-for-21) from the field and 85.7 percent (12-for-14) from the charity stripe as a team.

The Anchormen were able to maintain a sizable lead throughout the majority of the second half, holding a seven point advantage with 9:47 left in the half after a pair of made free throws by sophomore guard Chris Green (Taunton, MA). Tufts cut the deficit down to one, 72-71, with 6:58 left in the half on an old fashion three-point play by junior center Tom Palleschi (Haverhill, MA). RIC was able to build the lead back up to six points, but the Jumbos maintained their cool and slowly chipped away at the lead.

Palleschi put the visitors in position to win with a key layup, set up by junior guard Tarik Smith (Bronx, NY), with 58 second remaining to tie the game, 82-82.

Green led the Anchormen with 20 points, with Fritzson scoring 18 to go along with a game-high six assists in the loss. Palleschi scored a game-high 23 points to go along with seven rebounds and three blocks. Haladyna tossed in 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting from the field.

In upcoming action, Rhode Island College will host Elms on Tuesday, Dec. 1 (7 p.m.).