In Adelbert gym during the last regulation period play of the men's basketball team's game at Case Western Reserve University on Sunday, everyone in the gym knew that Steve DeLuca '08 was going to get the ball. After all, DeLuca had carried Brandeis the entire game, at one point scoring 21 points in a row for the Judges. So when DeLuca got blanketed by the Spartans' defense without any passing lane and point guard Kwame Graves-Fulgham '08 used DeLuca as a screen to drive the ball right down the lane for the game-tying layup with 11 seconds remaining, it was that much more surprising. The Judges went on to sink the Spartans in overtime for a 74-70 win, improving to 12-8 overall and 5-4 in the University Athletic Association.

"I'd have to be a moron not to have tried to at least get [DeLuca] the ball," Coach Brain Meehan said. "However, we have a lot of other guys capable of making plays, and [Graves-Fulgham] was there to make the play."

DeLuca finished with a career-high 35 points and 13 rebounds, while Joe Coppens '08 added 17 points. The career high for DeLuca marked his third personal record-setting game in as many weeks. The victory gave the Judges four straight wins in the UAA after going 1-4 in their first four conference games.

The Judges were coming off a dominating 69-41 win at Emory Friday night, in which the team jumped out to a 42-23 halftime against the Eagles. The Judges did not need DeLuca to carry them on that night, as Florian Rexhepi '08 and Huston Conti '09 led Brandeis with 12 points apiece, while DeLuca finished with eight. Earlier in the week, the Judges led Amherst College, the tenth-ranked team in Division III, by one point with nine minutes to go, but eventually fell 82-69. DeLuca led the way again with 25 points.

"It definitely builds up my confidence," Graves-Fulgham said of his game-saving shot Sunday.

Graves-Fulgham's basket capped off a 13-point second-half comeback for the Judges, who trailed 51-38 with 11:43 remaining. A major point in the game came when the Spartans committed a double-technical foul with 8:55 remaining. Spartans senior forward Carson Oren smashed the basketball down after getting called for a personal foul on DeLuca down low, resulting in the first technical. Afterward, Spartans sophomore center Mason Conrad rolled the ball away and was slow in getting it back to the official, resulting in the second technical. DeLuca went on to make five out of six free throws for the two technical fouls as well as the shooting foul, cutting the Spartans' lead from nine to four points without any time running off the clock.

"That was the turning point in the game, them losing their composure," Meehan said. "Before that point, we were really in deep trouble."

Rocco Toppi '08 kicked off overtime with a three pointer to put Brandeis up 68-65 and the Judges never looked back, holding the Spartans without a single field goal after regulation. Rexhepi led the team with man defense and helped create several turnovers leading to Brandeis points.

"His man became a non-factor and just couldn't score," Meehan said. "Florian has become arguably our best defender, and it's no coincidence that we are winning games now and he is giving us that kind of effort."

The Judges trailed the Spartans 38-28 at the half, shooting just 11-33 from the field. Although DeLuca's scoring barrage was a huge part of their second half comeback, defensive adjustments also keyed the Judges' run. The team ran a halfcourt trap on defense for the first time this season in the second half, using Riko Bol '09 out of the top of that trap.

"That threw them out of sync," Meehan said. "Riko changed the pace of the game and became a distraction for them, and they never really got back into a flow."

DeLuca said he is just starting to realize how important he is to the team.

"I know my teammates look at me as the leader on the offensive side of the floor," DeLuca said. "We have been running a lot of the offense through me, and it has been working."

Despite losing to Amherst on Tuesday night, the Judges turned in a very promising performance against the No. 10 team in the country. Even the Amherst coaching staff was impressed with Brandeis.

"I thought they played very well," Amherst assistant coach Ron Buelow said of the Judges. "We think Brandeis is very good, since we see some of their quality wins, and even some of the teams they lost to were close ballgames."

The Judges' successful weekend was a sign of their continuous improvement this season, and a huge boost of confidence for the team as it heads into the latter part of conference play.

"I think we are starting to see the clouds clearing here and the sun starting to shine," Meehan said. "The guys are just playing with a lot of confidence."

The Judges face off against the University of Rochester on Friday away.