The game was the first of the second semester for both teams. Tufts (6-4) won for the fifth time in their last six games. UMass Boston (5-6) lost for the first time in four games. Senior tri-captain Reggie Stovell (Washington, DC) scored on 9 of 16 field goal attempts and led Tufts with 22 points. Freshman Jake Weitzen (New York, NY) added 20 points and was the game’s leading rebounder with 11. Weitzen did not miss a shot in the game, hitting all four field goals (two threes) and 10 free throws. UMass Boston senior James Hall (Jacksonville, FL) was the game-high scorer with 23 points and junior tri-captain Eric Bateman (Glassboro, NJ) finished with 19, hitting 8 of 12 shots.
Tufts started fast, gaining a 21-5 lead on a three-pointer by freshman Ryan O’Keefe (Everett, MA) less than five minutes into the game. Stovell had eight points to lead the charge. The Beacons recovered from their slow start and cut the margin down to eight points, 29-21, on a lay-up by freshman Amigo Paniagua (Lawrence, MA) at 11:56.
The Jumbo lead was soon back in double-digits and hit 14 on a lay-up by Stovell that made it 42-28 at 7:08. Hall then took over the game for the next three minutes, helping the Beacons erase that deficit and take their only lead. He scored 14 points during a 17-2 run that put UMB up 45-44 on a free throw by Bateman at the 4:30 mark. Tufts bounced back again, scoring the next nine points to lead 53-45, and then scored the last six points of the half to lead 65-53 at the break. Stovell and Hall each had 14 points at the end of a fast and furious first half the featured 118 combined points.
UMass Boston again was able to stay in the game with a surge early in the second half. They cut the Jumbo lead to six, 70-64, with seven straight points including a lay-up by Bateman at 16:12. The margin was nine, 81-72, at 13:32, but Tufts scored the next 14 points to lead 95-72 on a lay-up by junior Dan Martin (Sandwich, MA) at 10:28. The Jumbo lead remained substantial for the rest of the game and both teams went to their benches.
Martin had 16 points and eight rebounds while O’Keefe finished with 15 points in a varied Tufts attack. Sophomore David Shepherd (Grantham, NH) had 10 assists for Tufts, who shot 53.5 percent (38/71) from the floor. The Jumbos were 12 for 18 (66.7%) from three-point territory, led by four from O’Keefe. They held a huge 54-32 advantage in rebounds.
Paniagua added 14 points to the Beacon attack. The visitors had 21 steals on 27 Tufts turnovers, including four apiece by senior guard Eric Summerville (Little Rock, AR) and sophomore guard Tony Barros (Dorchester, MA).
UMass Boston Beacons vs Tufts Jumbos 1/6/05 7:00 pm at Medford, MA At Medford, MA TUFTS JUMBOS 116, UMASS BOSTON BEACONS 97 UMASS BOSTON BEACONS (5-6) James L. Hall 7-11 5-5 23; Eric T. Bateman 8-12 1-2 19; Alberto Paniagua 5-11 4-6 14; Tony Barros 1-10 6-8 9; Eric Summerville 3-10 2-4 8; Charles Yuan 2-3 1-1 5; Tommy Howe 1-2 2-2 4; Nathan Proulx 2-6 0-0 4; A.J. Titus 1-2 0-0 3; Geoffrey Scannell 1-3 0-0 3; Mark Doran 1-5 1-2 3; Eddie Ramos 0-2 2-2 2; Ryuto Arakaki 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 32-78 24-32 97. TUFTS JUMBOS (6-4) Reggie Stovell 9-16 4-4 22; Jake Weitzen 4-4 10-10 20; Dan Martin 6-10 4-6 16; Ryan O'Keefe 5-12 1-2 15; Brian Kumf 5-10 2-4 12; Drew Kaklamanos 3-6 2-2 11; Pat Sullivan 2-4 2-4 7; Jason Grauer 2-4 0-0 5; David Shepherd 2-2 0-1 5; Casey D'Annolfo 0-2 0-2 0; Jimmy Edgerton 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 38-71 28-40 116. UMass Boston Beacons.......... 53 44 - 97 Tufts Jumbos.................. 65 51 - 116 3-point goals-UMass Boston Beacons 9-31 (James L. Hall 4-7; Eric T. Bateman 2-3; Tony Barros 1-6; Geoffrey Scannell 1-2; A.J. Titus 1-1; Nathan Proulx 0-3; Mark Doran 0-3; Ryuto Arakaki 0-1; Tommy Howe 0-1; Charles Yuan 0-1; Eric Summerville 0-3), Tufts Jumbos 12-18 (Ryan O'Keefe 4-7; Drew Kaklamanos 3-5; Jake Weitzen 2-2; Pat Sullivan 1-1; Jason Grauer 1-1; David Shepherd 1-1; Jimmy Edgerton 0-1). Fouled out--UMass Boston Beacons-None, Tufts Jumbos-None. Rebounds-UMass Boston Beacons 32 (Alberto Paniagua 5), Tufts Jumbos 54 (Jake Weitzen 11). Assists-UMass Boston Beacons 12 (Eric Summerville 5), Tufts Jumbos 26 (David Shepherd 10). Total fouls-UMass Boston Beacons 26, Tufts Jumbos 20. A-100