The saying "wait till next year" is one of eternal hope throughout the world of sports. It means writing off one unsuccessful season and looking forward to the next because it holds more promise. After losing two more games this weekend, it may be time for the Brandies University men's basketball team to adopt that mantra.The Judges (2-11 UAA, 6-17 overall) lost two games to UAA foes this weekend, the first at Emory University on Friday 81-67, the second on Sunday at Case Western Reserve University by a score of 81-68.

Sunday against Case Western (4-9 UAA, 7-17), the Judges had their best opportunity to end a frustrating seven-game losing streak, but suffered a fatal second-half collapse.

Brandeis defeated Case Western on January 24, 59-56. In that game, the Judges were led by center Pat Collier '06 and forward Bryan Lambert '04, who scored 18 and 21 points respectively. Sunday, the Judges were again without Collier, who has not played since February 14 against Carnegie Mellon. In the absence of Collier, the Judges played a better overall game, shooting 42.6 percent from the field compared with the 39.7 percent they displayed during the first matchup. Brandeis also connected on six of nine three-pointers and 71.4 percent of their free throws.

After falling behind 5-3 in the first minute, Brandeis got its offense warmed up and took an 11-5 lead. The Judges maintained the lead for the remainder of the first half, but the cushion began to diminish as the half drew to a close. With 2:39 remaining, the Judges led 34-27. But Head Coach Chris Ford's squad would not score again for the rest of the half until two free throws by Lambert eventually ended the drought. Meanwhile, Case Western capitalized on four Brandeis turnovers to score six points. They headed into halftime facing a two-point deficit, but with momentum clearly in hand.

In the second half, Brandeis lost what remained of its slim lead when Case Western's Baran Onder, a senior center, hit a jumper 36 seconds into the half. Brandeis regained the lead briefly, but fell behind with 17:25 remaining in the game and would never lead again.

The game remained tight, as the Judges never trailed by more than four points for most of the second half. With 4:43 remaining, Brandeis trailed by just two at 67-65 after forward Ben Bosonac '04 hit a three-pointer. Brandeis has had several comeback wins this year, and it looked as though this might be another. Unfortunately, in this instance the Judges fell short in the end. With the exception of two foul shots by guard Greg Kristof '04 and Lambert, Brandeis did not score again.

The Judges played well enough to win the game, due in large part to outstanding performances from Bosonac, who finished with a season-high 23 points, and Lambert, who added 15. Kristof and Marks were also solid, contributing eight and nine points respectively. Forward Glen Wright '05 scored 11 points and pulled down eight rebounds.

Brandeis was plagued by an old nemesis: turnovers and inconsistency. The Judges committed a horrid 16 turnovers, most of which were particularly damaging in the first half as Case Western continued to chip into the lead before halftime. The Judges' inconsistency from the field would be their downfall: during the final 4:43 of the game, Brandeis got off only four field goals and missed all of them.

Against Emory (5-8 UAA, 12-11) on Friday, the Judges did not play nearly as well as they did against Case Western. In the first meeting between the two teams, Brandies lost 93-79. They fared no better this time.

The Judges never led against the host Eagles. After eight minutes of play, Brandeis trailed by 12 (16-4). Nothing went right for Ford & Co. in the first half, as the Judges shot 36.7 percent from the field, including four misses from the three-point line (they were just 3-9 from the charity stripe). Brandeis also turned the ball over nine times in the first half. When the smoke cleared, they went into the locker room trailing by 21 (46-25).

Things improved a bit for Brandeis in the second half, but the Judges never seriously challenged Emory for the lead. Despite improved shooting (47.2 percent) and cutting down on theirturnovers (just six in the latter frame), the Judges trailed at times by as much as 20.

Although the outcome did not go Brandeis' way, the Judges were able to do a good job of distributing the scoring load, something which they have been unable to do for much of the season. Several players again had strong individual performances ,as Bosonac scored 11, Lambert added 14 andWright pumped in 10.

Brandeis still lacks enough consistent scoring to effectively challenge the conference's elite schools.

"We just don't have enough guys who can score points," Coach Chris Ford said.

The Judges' final game of the season is at New York University on Tuesday. The Judges and the Violets are currently tied for last in the UAA, so pride will surely be on the line. Brandeis won the first meeting 72-70 on January 18. Brandies will try to end the season on a positive note. Otherwise they'll just have to wait until next year.

The Judges faced the University of Rochester Yellowjackets two Sundays ago in their final home game of the season. Rochester, ranked 10th in the country, was challenged by the home squad, but eventually prevailed due in large part to Brandeis' inaccuracy from the field.

The Judges made only 32 percent of their field goals and held the Yellowjackets to only 36.2 percent from the field. In the first five minutes of the game, Rochester went on a 10-2 run. Forward Glen Wright '05 ignited a brief Brandeis run, scoring six of his 10 points during a two-minute span that pulled the Judges within four. That, however, was the closest Brandeis would get to Rochester, as they quickly fell behind again and went into halftime down seven (31-24).

During the second half, Brandeis again struggled offensively, scoring just four points in the first eight minutes of play.

Despite the fact that he has seen little playing time this season, guard Omri Ayalon '05 had a very strong individual performance. In 10 minutes of play against Carnegie Mellon on Friday, Ayalon scored ten points Against Rochester, he saw 24 minutes of play and scored eight. The improvement hasn't gone unnoticed.

"Omri came off the bench and gave us a nice lift. That's something that's been missing from our attack," Coach Chris Ford said.

The Judges blew a chance to gain some much-needed UAA respectability against Carnegie Mellon two Fridays ago.

Down six (33-27) at the half, the Judges implode in the secon half and found themselves down 16 (51-35) with 13 minutes to play. After a miraculous comeback ensued, Wright stepped to the free throw line with Brandeis down six and missed both of his attempts.

Carnegie Mellon closed the game out with an 11-4 run to win in convincing fashion, 69-56.

In this game, aside from the outstanding individual play of Ayalon and center Bryan Lambert '04 who scored 16 points and had 13 rebounds, several little things were big factors. The Judges shot just 39.7% from the field and 42.9% from the foul line.

This game also left the Judges with some question. Several times this season, faced with the same situation as they were against Carnegie Mellon, they were able to come back, but not this time. Why they failed on this occasion is unclear.

"I honestly don't know. We go on runs, then make a bunch of mental mistakes and it just kills our momentum," Lambert said.

On Tuesday, the Judges faced their other top opponent of the week, 11th-ranked Amherst College, the top division III team in New England.

Brandeis began the game unusually well, trailing only 18-15 after 10 minutes of play. But they faded over the next seven minutes to fall behind 31-21. The Judges went into the locker room trailing only 36-25.

In the second half The Judges could not find their rhythm as they fell farther and farther behind. Brandeis never threatened Amherst, trailing by 20 or more for most of the second half. The Judges had poor shooting numbers again, going 20-61 from the field and 61.5% from the foul line. They also made just two three-pointers. Lambert had another outstanding game 18 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

After another disappointing week, the Judges are struggling to find something positive to build upon.

"It's tough with our wins and losses coming in streaks. We're going up and down mentally just like we are with our wins and losses," Lambert said.

In order to turn things around for the few reaming games, the Judges will "...have to stay with a positive attitude and stick to the game plan Coach (Ford) provides for us, and execute," Ayalon said.

As the Judges struggle to maintain their moral and find a way to end the season on a positive note, Coach Ford feels that season has been disappointing.

"(The team) didn't live up to it (my expectations). I'd like to have won a few more games and see a little more improvement in the players in a few areas," he said.

The Judges have won just two of their last 10 games, but after playing a series of difficult opponents, they can look forward to an easier week. Brandeis travels across into the city to face Emerson College on Tuesday, and then to Emory on Friday and Case Western Reserve on Sunday. The Judges will look for revenge against Emory who defeated them 90-79, and will look the sweep CWRU whom they defeated 59-56.