MEDFORD, MA (November 18, 2025) -- In a tough, physical battle that saw the defensive units shine through, the No. 4 Tufts University men's basketball team was able to outlast visiting Suffolk University 54-47 in action from Cousens Gymnasium.
Tufts (1-2) shot just 36.4 percent from the floor for the game, but was able to force the visiting rams into just 30 percent on field goals to earn the win. Tufts led for nearly the entirety of the game, but was never able to truly pull away despite leading by as much as 12 in the second half after a triple by
Sidney Wooten with 12:12 to play.
Suffolk (3-1) got as close as six twice including pulling to within two possessions at 49-43 but Tufts pushed its edge back out to 10 on a three-pointer by
Zion Watt with just over a minute to play to seal the victory for Tufts. The Jumbos largest lead of the first half came with just under three minutes to play, as
Jon Medley put Tufts up by eight at 24-16 with a free throw. Though Tufts' lead was only single digits throughout the entire first half, but Tufts led for all by 39 seconds of the game.
Senior
Scott Gyimesi had a team-high 12 points to pace the Jumbos, adding 10 rebounds in his second double-double of the season. He was 5-of-9 from the floor, connecting on his only three-point attempt.
Junior
Dylan Reilly chipped in with nine points, while
James Morakis finished with eight points and a team-high five assists. Senior center
Joshua Bernstein also had seven points and game-high 11 rebounds, while Medley had six points, six rebounds and three steals. Watt came off the bench to score nine points as well, corralling six caroms for the Jumbos, who outrebounded the Rams 40-35.
Tufts was 20-of-55 overall from the field, but struggled mightily at the line as it made just seven of its 19 free throw attempts (36.8 percent).
Suffolk got a game-high 18 points from Nick Verdile, and James Jones tallied 11 points in the loss.
Tufts will be back in action Thursday evening on the road, though playing as the home team at Suffolk against Emerson College at 7 p.m. in non-conference play. The originally slated game for Cousens Gymnasium was moved to Suffolk due to the Tufts University volleyball team hosting the 2025 NCAA Tournament Regional in Medford this weekend.
--JUMBOS--
