Game recap courtesy of Newbury College
BROOKLINE, MA – The Tufts University Men's Basketball team gave head coach Bob Sheldon the 400th victory of his Jumbo coaching career tonight with a 99-78 win at Newbury College in non-league action.
Sheldon becomes the 41st active coach in the NCAA Division III to reach 400 victories. In his 28th season with the team (1988-2016), he now has a 400-293 overall record. He is the all-time leader in coaching victories at Tufts and is the 10th active coach in New England to reach the milestone.
Tufts senior guard Ryan Spadaford led five Jumbos in double figures with 21 points en route to their 14th victory of the season.
Tufts came out red-hot on both ends of the court. The Jumbos could not miss from long distance, shooting 55.6% (10/18) from beyond the arc in the first half. Spadaford was near perfect from three-point range netting three-of-four for nine of his 11 first-half points.
Offensively for the Nighthawks they had to contend with Jumbo junior center Tom Palleschi, who was a force in the front court. The North Shore native registered three of the team's five blocks. The visitors led 58-32 at the half.
Sophomore guard Jeduan Langston came on strong in the paint and led the Nighthawks with 12 points while senior guard Christian Sheridan came off the bench to follow up with seven points in the period.
When the teams emerged from the locker room at the start of the second half, the Jumbos quieted down from three-point range as the Nighthawks mounted a comeback. The Nighthawks continued to score in the paint, with Langston leading the charge netting an additional 15 points while senior guard Dallas Serrano paced the offense dishing out four assists.
Despite outscoring the Jumbos, 46-41, in the second half, the Nighthawks could not quell Tufts' offense. Spadaford added 10 points in the second half while sophomore guard Ben Engvall chipped in with eight points off the bench.
Engvall finished with 11 points along with sophomore guard Vincent Pace, while first year guard Ethan Feldman netted 12 points. Sophomore guard Everett Dayton rounded out the Jumbos in double figures with 10 points.
Langston led the Nighthawks with game-high 27 points while Sheridan came off the bench to net 15 points. Junior guard Ceejae Carter and Serrano rounded out the Nighthawks in double figures with 14 and 13 points, respectively.
Newbury falls to 2-16 while Tufts improves to 14-4. The Nighthawks return to the hard-court on Saturday when they return to conference play, hosting Becker College at 2:00 pm. The Jumbos will also be in action on Saturday afternoon when they host Bates College in a NESCAC game at 2:00 pm.
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