Mike Boornazian led Bates in scoring on Saturday with 24 points. (File photo by Phyllis Graber Jensen/Bates College) 

MEDFORD, Mass. -- Big games from seniors Mike Boornazian and Mike Newton were not enough on Saturday as the Bates men's basketball team dropped a 90-75 decision to Tufts.

The Jumbos (15-4, 5-2 NESCAC) shot 50% in the first half on their way to an 18-point halftime lead. Meanwhile the Bobcats (9-10, 2-5 NESCAC) struggled to find the bottom of the net in the first half of play, shooting only 28.2% from the field. 

Boornazian '16 (Portland, Conn.) had a monster game, scoring 24 points, grabbing a game-high 13 rebounds and dishing out a team-high five assists. Meanwhile, Newton '16 (Chapel Hill, N.C.) did all of his damage in the second half, scoring 13 points on 6-12 shooting in the contest. He also grabbed six rebounds.

Marcus Delpeche '17 (Wilmington, Del.) fell just short of a double-double, scoring nine points and grabbing nine rebounds. But like most of the Bobcats he struggled from the field, finishing the day only shooting 2-12. 

The Bobcats never led in the game as Tufts took a 5-2 lead on a Tom Palleschi three-pointer and never looked back. Palleschi matched Boornazian in the scoring column with 24 points. He grabbed five rebounds and also recorded five blocks. Meanwhile Tarik Smith finished the game with a double-double, scoring 14 points and dishing out a game-high 10 assists. Smith got to the free throw line 11 times in the game and made 10 of his attempts from the charity stripe. 

Tufts got to the free throw line a remarkable 42 times in the contest. Bates only got to the line 22 times. Tufts made 29 of their free throws (69%) while Bates made 13 (59.1%). 

The Bobcats look to snap their four-game losing streak Tuesday when they head to Maine-Farmington for a 7:00 p.m. tip.