The Brandeis men's basketball team (6-12, 3-6 UAA) is on a winning streak, turning it up a notch with back to back wins over Emory University, and a win on Sunday against Case Western Reserve University. Despite a disappointing start to the season in which the team went 3-12, the Judges retain a positive outlook and are hoping to ride this momentum through what is arguably the toughest stretch in their schedule.
Brandeis overcame a six-point halftime deficit on Friday to defeat Emory University for the second consecutive time. The Judges trailed by as many as nine points in the second half before a 17-4 run over the final 4:24 gave Brandeis a decisive 10 point victory 82-72. The action went back and forth for most of the first half as neither team could seem to hold a lead over the first 14 minutes of play.
Emory looked to take control after a layup by junior Chace Fawcet pushed the Eagles' lead to 12 with 1:48 left in the half. Brandeis forward Bryan Lambert '04 answered with a huge three-pointer for the Judges, cutting the lead to nine. Brandeis then forced two straight turnovers, and Scott Green '05 made Emory pay with a strong take to the basket that resulted in a three-point play to end the half with a momentum swing for Brandeis, now down only six.
The change of fortune did not seem to help the Judges starting off the second half as Emory countered a Green layup with an 11-3 run and pushed the lead back to 11 at 58-47. Brandeis managed to come roaring back, holding the Eagles scoreless over the next five minutes and tying the game with 8:57 left on the clock. This was the first of four ties and five lead changes in the second half.
With 6:34 remaining in the game, Brandeis grabbed its first lead since midway through the first half on a Lambert three-point play. The teams traded baskets over the next four possessions before a turnover by Stu Pradia '05 and two free-throws from Eagle sophomore Justin Zale gave Emory the edge at 68-65.
Brandeis then went on a tear, holding Emory to just one field goal the rest of the game while pouring in 17 total points in less than five minutes. Good defense by the Judges and bad shooting by the Eagels sealed the Eagles fate they shot just 1-8 from the field over that span and just 32.3 percent in the whole second half. Conversely, Brandeis' hot shooting in the second half (59.3 percent) sparked the victory and its 58.5 percent for the game was a season high. The Judges also stepped up their rebounding overcoming, a 17-8 disadvantage on the boards at the half to even it up at 30 for the game. The Judges still need to cut down on their turnovers (they had 19) if they hope to compete with Amherst and Rochester next week.
Lambert led a balanced scoring attack for Brandeis, scoring 24 points and snagging a game-high 10 rebounds. Greg Kristoff '04 had a big game off the bench scoring 14 points and hitting all four of his field goal attempts and both of his three-point attempts in only 18 minutes of action. Green also scored in double digits, putting in 12 points and along with Kristoff, led the team with only one turnover. Glenn Wright '05 and Omri Ayalon '04 also contributed solid scoring efforts, putting up 13 and 10 points respectively. Pradia led the Judges in assists with a career-high 13.
Chase Fawsett had a career night for Emory as Brandeis defenders seemed unwilling to step out and guard his barrage of mid-range jumpers en route to 31 points and seven rebounds. Junior Rashawn Allen was the only other Eagle in double digits with 12 points as Brandeis was able to shut down Emory's other big guns. Despite his big 26 point game against the Judges last week, junior Clayton Fuller was held to just eight points and was hassled by Brandeis defenders all game, turning the ball over seven times.
Brandeis continued its clutch performances on Sunday morning, beating Case Western Reserve University 83-73. In similar fashion to the win against Emory on Friday, the Judges trailed by as many as 10 in the first half and were down for most of the second before a late 17-2 run sealed the victory and a third straight UAA victory, the first three game UAA win streak since the 1995-96 season.
Lambert led the Judges once again with 21 points and 12 rebounds, his fourth straight double-double. Ben Bosanac '04 was hot from behind the arc, shaking off a recent shooting slump and hitting 4-6 from downtown, scoring 15 points.
"I have been struggling with making jump shots," Bosanac said. "But my teammates and the coaches have continued to give me positive feedback and sometimes you have to shoot yourself out of a slump."
Kristoff had another solid game off the bench also shooting four of six from deep for 14 total points. Pradia broke double figures with 10 points and dished out a game-high seven assists while "Mr. Consistency" Ayalon had 12 points.
Sophomore Carson Oren had a game-high 24 points and 13 rebounds while shooting 8-15 from the field to lead Case Western. Freshman Matt Cannon and sophomore Funso Lafe also both reached double-digits for the Spartans scoring 11 and 10 points respectively. The loss dropped Case Western's record to 4-16 (2-7 UAA).
Brandeis will host third-ranked Amherst College today before traveling to Rochester on Friday to play the top-ranked Yellowjackets. Although the Judges have a difficult week ahead, last week's victories have given them some much-needed confidence.
"It feels great to win some big conference games," Lambert said. "Our confidence increases everyday because we continue to improve. Everyone has worked hard to turn around our season and personally God has continued to help me and provide strength.