Andre Roberson '10 is used to being the Judges' backup point guard. But when starter Kwame Graves-Fulgham '08 committed two quick fouls in the team's 74-50 win over Emory Sunday, Roberson knew he needed to log more minutes than ever before. "Kwame's a great player, and it was unfortunate that he got his second foul, but when I came in, I just made sure to get everyone involved right from the start," he said.

Roberson did just that, as he finished just shy of a triple-double with 10 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. In the 16 first half minutes he played, the Judges outscored the Eagles by 22 points, turning a one point deficit into a 21 point halftime lead.

"Andre's been playing great all year," coach Brian Meehan said. "He pushes the ball and does a great job of defending, so we really don't miss a beat when he's out there. There's not a big difference between him and Kwame, so the rest of the players don't have to adjust to a backup point guard coming in."

Roberson's big game is just the latest example of bench players making key contributions to the team's success. Ten different Judges average at least 14 minutes a game, and a reserve has led the team in scoring or rebounding in 10 of the team's 16 games this season.

The Judges' second unit is comprised primarily of rookie guards Roberson and Kenny Small '10, rookie forward Terrell Hollins '10, forward Steve Hill '08 and guard Kevin Olson '09. Each has had their shining moments at different points this season.

Hollins scored 21 points in a 99-89 win over then nationally-ranked Tufts University Nov. 26, and Olson, stepping into a starting role for injured Florian Rexhepi '08, scored 18 points in the 87-57 victory over Framingham State College on Dec. 2. Hill, who recently moved into the starting lineup in place of Rich McGee '10, had 10 rebounds in a 62-47 win over the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth on Nov. 30. Small notched 13 points and seven rebounds in Sunday's win.

"Good teams have guys that can step in like that," Meehan said. "They practice hard and play hard, and we have confidence in all the guys we put in the game.