The Brandeis men's basketball team (2-5 UAA, 5-10) got off to a great start last week by defeating Tufts University 72-70 at the buzzer. The Judges, however, ended the week on a sour note with losses to UAA rivals University of Chicago (6-1 UAA, 10-8 overall) and Washington University (7-0 UAA, 18-0).On Sunday, the Windy City proved hostile territory, as Brandeis suffered a 73-57 loss to the University of Chicago Maroons.

The Judges tend to start games slowly, and Sunday's contest proved no exception. After Brandeis won the tip, Chicago senior power forward Derek Reich stole the ball from point guard Jon Marks '04. The Maroons missed a three-point attempt on that possession, but Reich had already set tone with his early steal and ball-hawking hustle. Reich hit two free throws on Chicago's next possession and would finish the day with 24 points to lead all scorers. He is averaging 26.1 ppg., second in the Division III ranks.

In the final five minutes of the first half, the Maroons continued their mastery of visiting Brandeis, converting on 10 of 14 shots from the field during a decisive 15-1 run. The Judges could not respond to the Chicago onslaught: They missed all five field goal attempts in the waning minutes of the half and turned the ball over four times during that awful stretch. At the half, the home team led 36-31.

In the second half, Chicago picked up where it left off, scoring 12 points in the first six minutes of play. But the Judges countered shot for shot to keep the score close. With 14 minutes left in the game, the Maroons led by only seven points, but they were able to sustain their momentum, and the Judges slowly faded. With 11:27 left, Chicago took a 55-45 lead, and maintained that double-figure cushion for the remainder of the game.

Although they fell by 16, the Judges shot well enough to keep the game tight. They made 45.5% of their field goals and 33.3% of their three-point shots. Unfortunately, Brandeis only attempted four three-pointers in the second half while Chicago made 43.6% of its field goals and 43.5% of its three-point shots. The greatest disparity between the two teams, however, was at the foul line. The Judges shot only seven free throws the entire game -- of which they made three -- and Chicago shot 15 of 26.

On Friday, the Judges traveled to St. Louis to face the powerful Washington University Bears, who are currently ranked first in the NCAA Division III Midwest region with an average margin of victory of 20 points.

From the outset, the Judges played an up-tempo style that allowed them to keep up with the athletic Bears. After ten minutes of play, Brandeis actually led 20-19. Once the Judges slowed the pace, however, the Bears sped up and went on a 26-7 run for the remainder of the half to take a 46-27 lead heading into the locker room.

In the second half, Brandeis was faced with the impossible of recovering from a 21-point deficit. In just his fifth game of the season, center Seth Roberts '06 paced the Judges with 14 points on seven of nine shooting and snared five rebounds. Pat Collier '06 continued his string of solid games with eight points and seven rebounds, while center Bryan Lambert '04 put up six points and brought down eight rebounds.

On Tuesday, the Judges faced rival Tufts University in a non-conference game. Brandeis fell behind 10-2 in the first four minutes of play, then stormed back with an 11-0 run over the next four minutes to take a 13-10 lead. The two sides remained close for the next two minutes before Collier entered the game and helped the Judges gain a 27-19 edge. He scored six points, blocked two shots, and had a rebound and an assist in his eight minutes of play in the first half.

When Collier was out, the Judges were led by Lambert, Wright, and Tim Diehl '04. Lambert led the team with 17 points and four steals, Wright added 12 points, nine rebounds, and four assists, and Diehl finished the game with 12 points and four steals. Led by this formidable foursome the Judges maintained a 39-30 lead at halftime.

With 4:08 remaining in the game, Lambert cut the Tufts lead to 62-61 with a baseline jumper. On their next possession, the Judges tied the game on Wright's bank shot, then took a 65-63 lead on Marks' drive to the hoop. Diehl gave Brandeis a 67-63 lead, but the Jumbos responded with two quick baskets to tie the game.

With 54.6 seconds remaining, Collier got in trouble and called a time out to retain possession. When play resumed, guard Greg Kristof '04 tried to kill the clock by holding the ball. Brandeis was eventually forced to put up an ill-advised shot, but Collier got the rebound, was hacked and converted the basket for a three-point play. He made the foul shot, giving the Judges a 70-67 lead with 31.3 seconds remaining.

Despite battling tendonitis in his knee, Collier has played very well since scoring 14 points against NYU on January 18.

"I just find something that allows me to play well and I go with the confidence of it," Collier said.

Ford was very pleased with the Tufts win, and sees it as a big step in the growth of his young team.

"I was very pleased with their composure to close it out. We found a way to win. With close games you have to find a way to win and guys are starting to learn how to do that," he said.

The Judges must now prepare for weekend re-matches with Chicago and WashU at Auerbach Arena.

The Maroons will come to Waltham riding high on a six-game win streak during which they've defeated Emory University and Case Western Reserve University on the road by a combined 45 points, and Carnegie Mellon University, the University of Rochester and New York University (NYU) at home.

In an 83-66 rout of NYU on Jan. 31, Chicago proved what a well-balanced group they have, as four starters scored in doble figures for Head Coach Mike McGrath. Forward Scott Fisher scored 13 points on five of six shooting to complement All-America candidate Derek Reich, who tallied a game-high 15 points and six rebounds. Reich, a bruising inside presence for Chicago, has led the Maroons in scoring in all but one game this season (Chicago dropped that contest to Carthage College 77-64).

Over the past seven Chicago games, Reich has netted an astounding 158 points, an average of over 22 per contest.

For Washington University, Head Coach Mark Edwards had had the luxury of returning all five starters and 17 of 19 letterwinners from a team that set the school's single-season victory record with 25 in 2001-2002. All-UAA selection Chris Jeffries returns: Last season, he led the Bears in scoring (16.9 points per game) and rebounding (8.3 per).

Guard Dustin Tylke averaged 10.2 points and 4.1 rebounds for WashU last year. Tylke's backcourt mate, point guard Matt Tabash, averaged 10 points and dished out an incredible 137 assists (5.1 per game).

According to the latest rankings from "d3hoops.com," WashU is the top-rated team in the Midwest in front of schools such as Rockford College (Ill.), Hanover College (Ind.), Illinois Wesleyan University (Bloomington, Ill.) and Wheaton College (Ill.)