The men’s basketball team was unable to overcome a pair of strong University Athletic Association opponents this past weekend, falling to Case Western Reserve University 83-81 in overtime on Sunday afternoon and Carnegie Mellon University 61-56 on Friday night.

The Judges’ record dropped to 6-8 overall and 1-2 in UAA play with the losses leaving the squad tied with Emory University, New York University and Carnegie for fourth place in the conference. 

Brandeis led Case by a score of 67-60 following a free throw from forward Jordan Cooper ’18 with four minutes remaining in regulation. From there, however, the hosts went on a 12-5 run to tie the game at 72 apiece with 21 seconds left. In the final possession of the game forward Tim Reale ’16 had a final chance to win the game for the squad but missed a layup as time expired, sending the two teams into an overtime session.

The teams combined for a total of five field goals in the five-minute overtime, though the Spartans added seven points from the charity stripe while the Judges managed just five. Case senior forward Jordan Dean converted one of two free throws with four seconds left in overtime, sealing the 83-81 victory. 

Down by a pair of points, the Judges took a timeout to set up a last-second shot, but the potential game-winner was not close and the visitors were sent home with a tough loss.

Cooper was one of three starters to score in double figures, adding a game-high 27 points on 8-of-14 shooting to eight rebounds and one assist. Guard Robinson Vilmont ’17 put up 19 points and netted all four of his attempts from the free-throw line while also pulling down five boards and a pair of assists. 

Reale contributed a dozen points and four rebounds but also struggled with ball control, committing five turnovers on the day.

Even though it fell short, the team is confident with its depth. Reale said that “with our team I don't think there's any drop off or difference between our starters and bench. We don't have that one superstar that we rely on, which I think benefits us. ... There's no lack of talent on this team, we just have to continue to find our roles within the team and be great within those roles.”

The squad  opened the contest with a 14-6 run over the game’s first five minutes to grab an early lead over the hosts in the first half. The team continued its strong play in the half, mixing short-range jumpers with trips to the free-throw line to take a 44-38 lead into the halftime break, punctuated by a Vilmont three pointer with just over a minute and a half to go before the break. 

Case came storming back in the second half, though, holding the visitors to 28 second-half points while scoring 34 of their own, forcing the overtime period.

On Friday, Brandeis quickly fell into an 8-0 hole in the first five minutes of the contest at Carnegie and was never able to overcome the original deficit. 

The squad entered the halftime break down by six and never leading by more than four points. 

Cooper led the way with 17 points and five rebounds, but was one of just two members of the squad to score in double figures.

Cooper leads the Judges in scoring offense for the season, scoring an average of 12.0 points per game through the year’s first 14 games, 0.9 points better than center John Powell ’17.

Vilmont scored 16 points and grabbed four rebounds in 34 minutes, though the Judges continued to struggle to score off the bench. 

Guard Carlin Haymon ’18 and forward Samuel Dowden ’18 each added three bench points, though no other bench players got on the score sheet. The hosts added 21 bench points and pulled down 33 rebounds to Brandeis’ 27.

The Judges grabbed a 56-54 lead with 4:20 remaining in the contest when Vilmont knocked down a long three-pointer, but the Carnegie defense held on from there, forcing four misses and a pair of turnovers by Brandeis. 

The team is looking forward to getting back on track immediately, Reale said. “Preparation starts with having a great week of practice. We're a young team that needs all the time in practice we can get to learn and grow as a team,” he said.  

“We're all anxious to get back on our home court against two of the top teams not only in the league but in the country. 

“It's going to be a real challenge for us this weekend, but we'll be ready. It's our first Friday night home game of the year, so hopefully we get a great crowd,” he said. 

Brandeis will return to action this weekend with a pair of home competitions, welcoming the No. 23 University of Chicago on Friday at 8 p.m. and No. 6 Washington University in St. Louis on Sunday, with tip off scheduled for noon.