WESTON, Mass. – Senior forward Ethan Peana (Staten Island, N.Y.) scored a career-high 22 points and sophomore Sam Jean-Gilles (Melrose, Mass.) picked up his first double-double of the year with 17 points and 12 rebounds, as Regis College defeated Tufts University, 71-59, on Tuesday night in men's basketball action in Weston, Mass.
The Pride improves to 3-0 on the young season and are off to their best start in program history. Tufts falls to 0-2 with the setback.
The Jumbos jumped out to an early lead to start the game, but the Pride grabbed their first advantage of the half on a Sam Jean-Gilles jumper to make it a 5-4 game. The Pride pushed their lead to 13-6 after Chris Keaton (Beverly, Mass.) knocked down three freethrows after being fouled while launching from distance, and Jordan Monts (Springfield, Mass.) gave Regis a 16-8 edge after knocking down a triple of his own minutes later.
Tufts sophomore Hunter Sabety (Oceanside, N.Y.) decided it was time to take over, going on a personal 8-2 run to cut the deficit to 18-16 with an emphatic dunk. Regis' Ethan Peana answered for the Pride with a 7-0 run of his own to extend the Pride lead back to 25-16, their largest lead of the period. Peana kept it a nine point game with a freethrow line jumper with 5:33 to play, but back-to-back baskets from Tom Palleschi (Haverhill, Mass.) and Stephen Haladyna (South Hamilton, Mass.) cut the Pride lead to 27-22.
The two teams traded baskets throughout the rest of the half as Regis took a 33-28 advantage into the break.
Ethan Peana led the Pride with 11 points and four rebounds in the first period, with Monts adding seven points of his own. Hunter Sabety knocked down 9-of-11 shots en route to 20 points and five rebounds to lead the Jumbos.
Jean-Gilles struck first for the Pride with a three pointer to open the half, sparking a 7-0 run and forced a Tufts timeout with Regis leading 42-30. The Pride were holding on to a 47-37 lead with 14:31 to play when Stephen Haladyna knocked down his second triple of the game to cut the deficit to 47-40. Haladyna would add a pair of freethrows a minute later to make it a five point game, but a Peana freebie and a Jean-Gilles put back put the Pride back on top by eight at 50-42.
After another Jean-Gilles bucket kept it a six point game at 54-48, Tufts rattled off a 6-0 run that ended with a monster dunk on the fast break from Sabety to tie it at 54-all with 5:19 to play and prompted a Regis timeout.
The Pride responded to the break in action, getting a pair of Peana baskets and a Jean-Gilles layup for a 6-0 run of their own, before Chris Keaton knocked down a deep triple to cap a 9-1 run that handed the Pride a 63-55 lead. The stretch would continue over the final three minutes of play as Regis closed the game on a 17-5 run following the timeout to hang on for the 71-59 win over the Jumbos.
Regis won the rebounding battle, 38-32, and committed only 14 turnovers to the Jumbos' 17. The Pride shot an efficient 49.1% from the floor on the night, while both teams struggled from behind the arc, with Regis (3-of-11) faring slightly better than Tufts (3-of-15).
Jeff Tagger Jr. (Brockton, Mass.) joined Peana and Jean-Gilles in double-digits with 12 points, five rebounds, and three assists. Jordan Monts finished the game with 11 points and four rebounds, while Chris Keaton had seven points off the bench. Hector Heredia (Lawrence, Mass.) finished the night with a team-high five assists.
Sabety led Tufts with 24 points and seven rebounds, while Stephen Haladyna knocked down all three triples for the Jumbos en route to 17 points and five rebounds of his own. Tom Palleschi chipped in 11 points and five rebounds. Tarik Smith (Bronx, N.Y.) led the Jumbos with six assists, while Ben Ferris (Essex Junction, Vt.) had an all-around game with two points, six rebounds, and four assists.
The Crimson and Gold return to action on Friday night as the Pride host Thomas College as part of the Moe's Queso Classic scheduled for 5:00 p.m. The Coast Guard Academy and Framingham State University will follow in the second game of the night at 7:00 p.m.
Tufts has their home opener on Friday night as the Jumbos will take on Emerson College in Medford, Mass. at 7:00 p.m.