Senior co-captain Deyvehn East (Greenfield, MA) led the Jumbos (7-15) with 15 points, seven rebounds and 11 assists. Sophomore center Dan Martin (Sandwich, MA) added 12 points and 12 rebounds. Middlebury (12-10) got 13 points and 10 rebounds from senior co-captain Nate Anderson (Hinesburg, VT).
Tufts trailed just once in the game, but never opened a large enough lead to cruise to the victory. Their six-point lead at halftime, 39-33, equaled the largest margin of the first 20 minutes. Sophomore Scott Armstrong (Rockville, MD) had 11 points at the break for Tufts, and East already had seven assists. Seven points by junior Adam Sinoway (Harrisburg, PA) led Middlebury at the half.
The Jumbos scored the first eight points of the second half to lead by 14, 47-33, on a lay-up by East at 17:59. Three-plus minutes later the Tufts lead again was at 14, 52-38, but the Panthers used an 11-4 run to cut the gap to seven points, 56-49, on a jumper by Anderson at 9:16. He had eight points during the spurt. On the next possession, a desperation three-point heave as the shot clock was expiring by Tufts freshman Jason Grauer (New York, NY) found nothing but net, ending the run and giving the Jumbos a 59-49 lead.
Middlebury would twice pull within seven again, the latest at 68-61 after a three-pointer by Sinoway at 1:56. However, the Jumbos would score the next seven points at the free throw line to put the win in their pocket.
Tufts placed five scorers in double-figures, including 12 points by sophomore forward Blaine Lay (Rockville, MD). The hosts improved to 6-3 at Cousens Gymnasium with the victory. The Jumbos scored 24 points at the foul line, including an 11 for 12 effort by East.
Middlebury shot just 29.9 percent (20/67) from the field, including 25 percent (9/36) in the second half. Sinoway finished with 13 points and five rebounds. The Panthers connected on 11 of 30 three-point attempts, including three each by junior center Clark Read (Pepper Pike, OH) and Sinoway.
Tufts hosts first-place Williams tomorrow, while Middlebury travels to Bates. Colby is at Bowdoin. Two of those three teams will qualify for the conference tournament that starts on February 21.
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