Tufts junior David Shepherd (Grantham, NH) was the hero of the day, tallying a team-high 22 points, 11 rebounds and four assists, including the game-tying bucket to force the overtime session. He was also a flawless 11-for-11 from the charity stripe. Sophomore Jake Weitzen (New York, NY) matched Shepherd's double-double with 21 points and 10 boards, while classmate Ryan O’Keefe (Everett, MA) and senior Dan Martin (Sandwich, MA) chipped in 19 and 15 points each. Junior Brian Kumf (Milford, MA) led an outstanding Tufts rebounding effort, hauling in 13 caroms as the Jumbos out-rebounded the Bantams 56-35, including 21 offensive boards.
Junior Patrick Martin (Springfield, MA) paced Trinity with 24 points, while senior Tyler Rhoten (Ridgewood, NJ) finished with just 14 points and seven rebounds before fouling out with 2:25 left in the second half. Junior Kino Clarke (Brooklyn, NY) posted 12 points and five boards, and sophomore Russ Martin (East Longmeadow, MA) chipped in 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
The Bantams held a slight advantage over the first six minutes of play, but Tufts knotted the score at 13-13 at the 12:39 mark and back-to-back threes from Shepherd and O’Keefe capped a 12-0 run to stretch the Jumbos’ lead. Trinity stalled Tufts’ offensive onslaught, but not for long, as the Jumbos pushed their advantage to 17 by the end of the half, 34-26.
Dan Martin punched the lead above 20 with consecutive scores to open the second frame, but Trinity would rally as the Bantams posted a 16-3 run to cut the lead to single digits, 53-46, with 13:20 left in regulation. Almost two minutes of scoreless basketball followed the run, but Trinity got it going again and managed to claw its way back to a tie ball game, 59-59, at the 8:18 mark. The Bantams overtook Tufts and gained their first lead since the 13:40 mark of the first half, but could push the advantage no higher than six points down the stretch.
Tufts chipped away as they capitalized on their free throw attempts, while the Bantams were only able to cash in on one at a time down the stretch. It looked as hope was lost for Tufts as Kumf missed a pair from the stripe to leave the Jumbos trailing by one with seven seconds left. After a quick foul, Patrick Martin gave Trinity a two-point edge with a one-for-two showing at the line and Shepherd took the ball up the left side for the game-tying lay-up.
With Rhoten fouled out of the game, it was all Tufts in the extra session. Trinity was unable to convert a single field goal, while Weitzen and Shepherd combined for 12 of the squad’s 18 overtime points. The victory all but assures the Jumbos (21-5) of a berth into the NCAA Tournament, which would be the third in team history.
Trinity dropped to 18-6 with the loss and will await word of a possible at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament. Seedings will be announced Monday morning at 8 a.m.
TUFTS UNIVERSITY 88, TRINITY COLLEGE 75 TUFTS UNIVERSITY (21-5) David Shepherd 5-11 11-11 22; Jake Weitzen 6-11 7-9 21; Ryan O'Keefe 7-16 3-5 19; Dan Martin 6-13 3-5 15; Brian Kumf 2-5 2-4 6; Brian Fitzgerald 0-2 3-4 3; Pat Sullivan 1-1 0-0 2; Jeremy Black 0-7 0-0 0. Totals 27-66 29-40 88. TRINITY COLLEGE (18-6) Patrick Martin 6-18 10-14 24; Tyler Rhoten 5-14 4-6 14; Kino Clarke 5-13 2-2 12; Russ Martin 3-9 5-6 11; Aaron Westbrooks 1-3 4-4 6; Paul Rowe 1-3 1-1 3; Michael Hoar 1-4 0-0 3; Tom Finnegan 1-1 0-0 2; Stephen Dunn 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 23-66 26-33 75. Tufts University.............. 43 27 18 - 88 Trinity College............... 26 44 5 - 75 3-point goals-Tufts University 5-16 (Jake Weitzen 2-5; Ryan O'Keefe 2-4; David Shepherd 1-3; Brian Fitzgerald 0-1; Jeremy Black 0-3), Trinity College 3-19 (Patrick Martin 2-8; Michael Hoar 1-2; Kino Clarke 0-6; Russ Martin 0-1; Aaron Westbrooks 0-1; Tyler Rhoten 0-1). Fouled out--Tufts University-Brian Fitzgerald; Brian Kumf, Trinity College-Aaron Westbrooks; Michael Hoar; Tyler Rhoten. Rebounds-Tufts University 56 (Brian Kumf 13), Trinity College 35 (Russ Martin 9). Assists-Tufts University 13 (Jeremy Black 5), Trinity College 9 (Michael Hoar 3; Patrick Martin 3). Total fouls-Tufts University 24, Trinity College 31. A-700