Corsairs Fall Behind Early to Tufts in Road Loss

MEDFORD, Mass. - The University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's basketball team fell behind early on Saturday night, and could not catch up to Tufts in Medford, Mass. Tufts came away with a 90-77 victory. 

Both the Corsairs (1-5) and the Jumbos (6-1) saw five of their players put up 10-or-more-points.

5th-year player Dhalyn Sanders-Dyer and senior Jackson Zancan led the Corsairs with 13 points each. Sophomore forward Theo Jadotte started for the second time this season, and posted a near double-double with 11 points and 9 rebounds.  The other double-digit scorers for UMass Dartmouth were junior Isaac Percy (12 pts.) and senior John Martins Jr. (11 pts.). 

The game's leading scorer was Tufts' senior Dylan Thoerner with 19 points. Other Jumbos player with strong performances were junior Bobby Stewart (16,12,6) and sophomore Truman Getting (15,7,3).

The first half of this competition turned into 3-point shootout, with both teams scoring at a high efficiency from behind the arc. UMass Dartmouth shot 6-11 (54.6%) from three in the half to Tufts' 5-8 (62.5%). Another big story within this game was the difference in rebounding. The Corsairs lost the rebound battle 44-24 to the Jumbos.

Tufts got out to an early lead that they would extend to double-digits at about the midway point of the first half. The Jumbos were successful in keeping the Corsairs at a distance. They held onto their lead going into the locker room, leading UMass Dartmouth 46-34. 

Tufts came out of halftime with their foot still on the pedal, extending their lead as high as 18 points at 60-42 after a three from senior Carson Cohen. The three-point-shooting for both teams was much different than the first half, with each shooting below 35% in the 2nd half.  The Corsairs continued to fight to get back into the game, and a mid-range jumper from Percy cut the lead to 10 points for the first time since the opening of the second half. But with just over a minute remaining in the contest, the Corsairs did not have enough time left to get themselves back into the contest late. At the final horn, the Jumbos were victorious, 90-77.  

In this contest, Tufts controlled the categories of: points off of turnovers (23-15), 2nd chance points (17-6), points in the paint (46-36), and fast break points (13-6). The Corsairs never led the Jumbos in this game. 

UMass Dartmouth enter conference play with a disappointing record of 1-5. Little East Conference action begins this Wednesday against Eastern Connecticut State University. The Warriors also have had a slow start to their season with a record of 2-6. The contest will begin at 7:30 PM as the second half of a double-header at the Tripp Athletic Center.