The Rams found themselves down early after senior Drew Kaklamanos (Jupiter, FL) hit a three-pointer to start the game. Reggie Stovell (Washington, D.C.) followed with a lay-up to give the Jumbos a five-point lead.
Suffolk quickly rebounded from the Jumbos’ early attack however, going on a 6-0 run 4:20 into the game to bring them within one, 10-9. Soon after, Suffolk was able to tie the score at 15 with a jump shot by sophomore John Murphy (North Reading, MA), who was also fouled on the shot. Murphy’s free throw gave the Rams a one-point lead before Stovell layed one up to give Tufts the one-point lead.
Suffolk co-captain Chris Tighe (Easton, MA) later scored off of a steal, tying the score at 22 with 8:35 remaining in the half. The Rams started to pull away in the first half, increasing their lead to five, 38-33, with 3:23 remaining in the half, but the Jumbos were able to tie the score at 40 with a three-point shot by freshman Ryan O’Keefe (Everett, MA) to end the half.
The second half started as a mirror of the first half, as the Rams and Jumbos exchanged shots. Eventually, Tufts was able to pull away with an 11-0 run, increasing their lead to 63-50 with 11:31 left in the game. Tufts freshman Jake Weitzen (New York, NY) contributed six points during the run, finishing the game with seven points and five rebounds.
The Rams shot just 30 percent from the field during the second half, hitting only 10 of 33 shots attempted. The Jumbos shot 63 percent from the field in the second half, outscoring the Rams 48-30 in the final frame.
Murphy paced the Suffolk offense, tying the game high of 21 points on 7 of 11 shooting, including 4 of 7 from beyond the three-point arc. Tighe finished the game with 13 points and two assists. Junior Josh Morelock (Poplar Grove, IL) scored 12 points on 6 of 13 shooting for the Rams.
Stovell scored 21 points for Tufts and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. O’Keefe ended with 15 points on 6 of 10 shooting, including 3 three-pointers.
Suffolk falls to 2-4 on the season while Tufts improves to 5-4. Suffolk will face Western New England College on Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in Regan Gymnasium.