BOSTON – Playing in front of a home crowd for the first time in 635 days, Suffolk men's basketball put on a show and took down No. 11 Tufts, 90-81, Thursday night at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court.
THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 90 | No. 11 Tufts 81
RECORDS: Suffolk (2-1) | No. 11 Tufts (0-2)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Things looked to go back-and-forth early with Tufts ahead 7-4. John Gates took control with back-to-back buckets from behind-the-arc to level the playing field and switch the score in favor of Suffolk, 10-7, less than four minutes into the action.
Gates' hoops from 3-point land ignited 12-0 Rams' gave the blue-and-gold a 16-7 edge at the 14:58 minute mark. The next three minutes were all Jumbos as they scored eight unanswered to pull within on, 16-15, which forced Jeff Juron to take a timeout.
Out of the huddle, Conor Creane knocked down a triple. Once again Tufts responded with a layup by Trumman Gettings. Tufts' bucket inside the paint at the 10:17 mark would be the last field goal for the guest over the next eight minutes. Over that time, the blue-and-gold turned its defense into offense and built a 41-18 cushion with 3:34 to play before halftime.
Once the Jumbos got going again they ended the frame with a 12-4 spurt to cut the space down to 14, 45-31, as the teams headed to the locker rooms.
Suffolk took control to start the second stanza. Nate Hale swished a pull-up jumper to spark a 7-0 stretch that regained a hefty 21-point margin, 52-31, 2:13 out of the intermission.
The Rams kept the Jumbos at a double-digit distance at the midway point, 63-49, however Tufts did not go down without a fight. Slowly, but surely, the tough Jumbos clawed back and out of a Suffolk timeout the visitors scored five straight to pull within seven, 79-72, with 3:19 left on the clock.
Finesse at the free throw line paid off for the Rams the rest the way. Suffolk took care of business down, going 8-for-10 at the charity stripe over the final three minutes to preserve the upset victory.
STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
- Hales was on the verge of a 30-point, finishing with a team-high 29 behind a 10-for-18 effort from the field and 4-7 showing from 3-point range and 5-for-6 showing at the line. He added three boards and one takeaway.
- Sullivan supplied 18 points, seven caroms, four assist and three steals.
- Rowe registered 15 points, four boards, three dimes and a pair of set-ups.
- Gates added nine points, six rebounds, one assist and steal, respectively.
- Suffolk shot 50.8 percent (31-61) from the floor, 47.8 percent (11-23) from downtown and 81.0 percent (17-21) from the free throw line.
- Both teams grabbed 34 rebounds.
NOTEWORTHY
- Suffolk defeated Tufts for just the sixth time in program history to move to 6-30 all-time against the Jumbos.
- The Rams ran together back-to-back wins against the Jumbos together for the first time since opening the series with two straight wins over the 1969-70 and 1970-71 seasons.
- Suffolk took down a ranked opponent for the first time since upsetting then-No. 19 Albertus Magnus, 81-68, Feb. 1, 2020. Ironically, that game took place on Tufts' home court, Cousesns Gym, in Medford, Massachusetts.
- The Rams are unbeaten, 2-0, against top-25 competition under Juron's guidance
- Hale became the 31st member of Suffolk's 1,000-point club, the first since Thomas Duffy hit the 1K mark in the GNAC Quarterfinals against the University of Saint Joseph Feb. 19, 2019.
- Sullivan notched a career-high in points (18), rebounds (7), and free throws taken and made with a perfect 9-for-9 showing at the line. The junior matched a personal-best three steals.
- Gates matched a career-high six rebounds.
POST-GAME PIC
WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk is right back on the road Saturday, Nov. 20 when it heads to Framingham State for a 2 p.m. showdown.
