Tufts University’s Scott Anderson posted his second double-double this season and the Jumbos held on down the stetch for a 74-64 NESCAC win over Hamilton College at Tufts’ Cousens Gym on Feb. 12.
The Jumbos (16-8 overall, 7-3 NESCAC) went 10-1 in their last 11 games and secured the No. 4 seed in the NESCAC championship, which begins on Saturday, Feb. 16. Tufts has won seven of the last nine meetings with the Continentals, and the Jumbos lead the all-time series, 11-8.
Anderson tallied 12 points and 10 rebounds, and was one of four Jumbos that scored in double figures. Stephen Haladyna dropped in a game-high 14 points off the bench, Ben Ferris chipped in 13 and Tom Palleschi added 12. Alex Goldfarb hit all three of his shots from beyond the arc for nine points, and Oliver Cohen tied his season high with nine assists.
The Continentals (12-12, 3-7) provided a balanced attack as seven players scored at least seven points. Ken Click '13 led the way with 12 points and Greg Newton '14 contributed 11. Matt Hart '16 and Eric Benvenuti '13 scored nine points apiece off the bench.
Bradley Gifford '15, Peter Kazickas '15 and Matt Dean '14 tallied seven points each. Gifford also recorded seven rebounds, four assists, four blocked shots and three steals.
Hamilton scored the first four points before Ferris drained a shot from long range that sparked a 16-4 Jumbos run. The spurt was capped by 3-pointers by Haladyna and Goldfarb, and Tufts led the rest of the night. The Continentals trailed 21-12 midway through the first half when they scored seven of the next nine points and pulled within 23-19 with 8:59 to go.
The Jumbos responded with a 14-5 run and took their first double-digit lead at 37-24. Haladyna ignited the run with seven straight points. Tufts grabbed its largest lead of the half at 44-29 after the Jumbos scored seven unanswered. Hamilton scored the last five of the half, and Tufts held a 44-34 advantage at the break.
Tufts stretched its lead to 56-43 with 13:24 left. Hamilton roared back with a 15-5 run and pulled within 61-58 with 7:52 remaining. Hart started the run with a trifecta, and Dean, Click and Newton provided the rest of the scoring with four points each. But the Jumbos put it away with an 11-2 spurt for a 72-60 cushion with just 2:30 to go.
"We faced a very talented Tufts team that played with great intensity," Hamilton head coach Adam Stockwell said. "I was glad that we fought back and never gave in. It was great to see our seniors have good games."
The Jumbos shot 49 percent (26-53) and the Continentals were at 48 percent (25-52) from the floor. Tufts had the advantage from 3-point range, as the Jumbos were 9 of 18 compared to 6 of 16 for Hamilton. The Jumbos entered the evening ranked 27th in Division III from beyond the arc at 39 percent.
The home team held a 32-28 edge on the boards, including 10-5 on the offensive glass. The Jumbos also racked up 18 assists, which bettered their season average of 16.2 per game, good for 22nd in all of Division III.
