Down by as many as 15 points in the second half, the Judges came storming back, taking a hard-fought 79-77 win over New York University on Saturday. It was the first conference win of the season for the Judges, who are 8-5.Joe Coppens '08 sparked the comeback, converting on a three-point-play which ignited a late 14-1 run which eventually gave the Judges a six point lead with just over a minute remaining.

"Tonight was a great win for us," co-captain Bryan Lambert '05 said. "You come from behind 13 points against a good team, and the freshmen did great. It's good to watch them mature as the season goes on."

Florian Rexhepi '08 posted another career high by leading the game with 27 points, making seven of 13 shots. Steve DeLuca '08 chipped in with 16 points and seven rebounds, while Lambert scored 13 points.

"Our defense was off," Rocco Toppi '08 said. "They were killing us inside. Coach gave us a good speech at halftime, and we came out with better defense, and rebounding."

"We did not let go even though we were down by 13 at the end of the first half," Rexhepi said. "We came back playing harder, and we were calm. We weren't making as many mistakes and turnovers."

"[The team is] getting better and better," coach Brian Meehan said.

The conquest of NYU came off of a bittersweet record since returning from break, with losses to University of Rochester and Carnegie-Melon, but culminating in an 87-72 win over 6-5 Tufts last Wednesday.

"Sometimes you need to get angry after losing so much," Lambert said. "We really buckled down and came together as a team after three [losses] in a row. It was tough for us. We came back strong."

DeLuca helped dispatch Tufts with a career best 23 points. Kwame Graves-Fulgham '08 had 18 points and had five steals. Rexhepi had 20 points.

Fourteen minutes into the game the Judges held the lead, 28-27 and would not let it go for the rest of the game.

"In the second half we played better, with more emotion and energy," Meehan said.

The Judges were not as lucky against Carnegie Mellon last Sunday. Brandeis was sluggish from the start and eventually trailed Carnegie Mellon by 29 points at halftime on their way to dropping an 86-69 decision. Lambert led three players in double figures with 18 points.

"The first half against Carnegie-Melon was the worst half our team has played in," Rexhepi said. "We were absolutely out of focus, and it cost us the game."

The Judges played better a couple days earlier against the University of Rochester, but a 12-2 run in the second half captured the game for the Yellowjackets, overshadowing Lambert's season-high 29 points. The Judges lost 64-63.

"We have to steal those close games, because it comes down to them," Meehan said.

With 12 games remaining, the Judges have more work ahead of them. The schedule remains difficult with only one non-league game remaining.

"For future games we need to play harder and harder," Rexhepi said. "Every game is a lesson for us because we are a young team and are still getting used to college basketball."

With the UAA still wide open, the Judges embark on their first conference road trip this weekend. The team travels to Cleveland to face Case Western Reserve University on Friday before travelling to Atlanta to take on Emory University on Sunday.