Tufts Too Much for Men’s Basketball, 76-62

BOSTON – A near four-minute scoring lull by Suffolk men's basketball was the difference and allowed Tufts to hand the Rams their first loss of the season, 76-62, Friday night at Larry E. and Michael S. Smith Court. 

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 62 | Tufts 76
RECORDS: Suffolk (2-1) | Tufts (3-0)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
Tufts put the first six points of the night on the board and Suffolk found itself in a 10-5 hole five minutes into the contest. Keenan Robertson buried a freebie to spark a 5-0 Rams run that leveled the playing field at 10-all at the 13:57 mark. 

After the Jumbos got another hoop, Danny Yardemian converted a traditional 3-point play to push the blue-and-gold in front and see-saw action ensued. 

Over the final 11 minutes of the first frame, the score would lock five more times and the lead exchanged three with Tufts taking a 36-31 edge into the locker room. The five-point advantage for the visitors came as Tufts outscored Suffolk, 8-2, over the last 2:42 of the opening half.   

Similar to the opening five minutes of the contest, momentum stayed in the Jumbos favor in the first five of the second half and Suffolk found itself down seven, 44-37, with 15:04 on the clock. 

Out of their own timeout, the Rams offense picked up as Keenan Robertson and Owen Walters combined for 7-3 stretch that put the host within three, 47-44, at the 12:27 mark. 

Suffolk's scoring hit a draught from there as it went without a bucket for 3:35. In that time, the Jumbos jumped ahead by as many as 13.  

The Rams made one final push. The blue-and-gold outscored the Jumbos 10-5 to cut the distance down to six, 62-56 with 5:05 left. That rally featured an old school 3-point play from Yardemian, his second of the night, as well as a bucket from behind-the-arc from the graduate student. Cole LeVangie supplied a trey in that stretch as well. 

A back-and-forth game consumed the rest of the way before Suffolk gambled by sending Tufts to the free throw line, where the Jumbos sealed things up. 

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING

• Yardemian finished with a game-high 17-point performance on a 6-for-12 showing. He added six caroms and three handouts. 
• Walters regisetered 14 points on a 7-for-14 effort from the floor to go along with three dimes and one board. 
• Evan Cook chipped in seven points, five boards and two assists. 
• Keenan Robertson recorded eight points, three rebounds, four steals and two assists. 
• Kyle Phillips pitched in four steals, two points, two rebounds and one dime in just eight minutes. 
• Suffolk shot just 33.3 percent on the night and struggled from downtown, converting just 16.0 percent (4-25) of its three-point attempts. 
• At the line, the Rams went 10-for-14. 
• Tufts, who had four players in double figures, outrebounded the Rams, 43-38. 
• Suffolk limited its turnovers to just eight, while the Jumbos had 17. 

NOTEWORTHY

• The 76 points allowed to Tufts is the fewest Suffolk has given up to the Jumbos since Nov. 27, 2001, a 71-64 setback. 
• Yardemian produced a personal-best 17 points and made a career-high four three throws. He matched a career-high in field goals made (6), 3-pointers made (1) and assists (3). 
• Yardemian has scored double figures in every outing he has worn a Suffolk jersey. 
• Robertson and Phillips each notched a career-high four steals. 
• Walters rewrote his personal-best numbers in points (14), field goals made (7) and assists (3). 
• Nick Verdile logged a career-high in rebounds (5), points (2) and field goals made (1). 
• Cem Uner tallied his first collegiate points and finished with two. 

SUFFOLK'S SCHEDULE
Suffolk will be back at Smith Court Tuesday, Nov. 21 with a pre-Thanksgiving tilt against Boston Commons neighbor Emerson at 7:30 p.m.