As the clock ticked down and the capacity crowd of 1,750 Saturday night serenaded No. 1 Amherst College with chants of "overrated," forward Stephen Hill '08 found himself alone underneath the basket. Rather than opting for a rim-rattling dunk, Hill calmly laid the ball in the basket to jumpstart the Judges' celebration.Hill's layup punctuated arguably the men's basketball team's biggest regular-season victory in coach Brian Meehan's five-year tenure. Fueled by a hounding defensive effort on senior all-American point guard Andrew Olson, the No. 3 Judges defeated the top-ranked and defending Division III champion Lord Jeffs 72-62, moving to 8-1 on the season following last Thursday's 71-64 overtime loss to the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth.

"When your team puts forth an effort like that, you want them to get what they deserved," Meehan said. "Our guys came today and put forth an unbelievable effort."

As the buzzer sounded, members of "The Jury" student fan section stormed the Red Auerbach Arena floor, waving white towels distributed by WBRS before the game. They mobbed the Judges players, while Amherst left the court dejected by their defeat.

"This whole program has been waiting years for something like this to happen, and it finally has, and it feels good knowing [I] was a part of that," guard Joe Coppens '08 said.

The teams traded the lead through the first half, and the Judges, who continue to play without first-team all-University Athletic Association forward Steve DeLuca '08, inched ahead 39-37 with 15 minutes and three seconds remaining in the game. At that point, Brandeis reeled off a 20-6 spurt to take control.

Coppens fueled the run with six key points. He took a pass from guard Andre Roberson '10 and drained a three-pointer to give the Judges a 44-37 lead. On the ensuing Brandeis possession, after an Olson turnover, Coppens took a handoff and hit a long jumper as senior center Kevin Hopkins hit him in the face for the foul.

The Lord Jeffs cut the lead to 48-41 with 12:09 left in the game, but forward Terrell Hollins '10 put the Judges in front with two three-point plays. He cut down the lane and wrapped a reverse right-handed layup off the glass while being fouled to put the Brandeis ahead 53-41, then culminated the run by rebounding Coppens' miss and converting the layup to put the Judges ahead 59-43 with 7:25 left.

"The effort was there from everyone," Hollins said. "It was the most fun game I've ever played in."

Amherst did not fold, putting together an 11-0 spurt to cut the lead to 59-54 with 4:20 remaining after senior forward Fletcher Walters was fouled on a three-point attempt and converted all three free throws. On the ensuing Brandeis possession, with the shot clock running down, guard Kwame Graves-Fulgham '08, trapped on the baseline, found forward Christian Yemga '11, who banked in his first three-pointer of the season to restore momentum for the Judges.

"[Yemga] had struggled early on [this season] getting adjusted, but that was a big three [pointer]," Hollins said. "Coach [Meehan] told him not to shoot, but the shot clock was running down, and he hit a big shot."

On Amherst's next possession, Olson, bothered by an ankle injury and tenacious defense from Graves-Fulgham and Roberson, missed a fadeaway jumper and was arguing with the referee as the Judges sped down the court for a fast break. The all-American point guard had just nine points and five assists, and the Amherst offense, which entered the game averaging 84 points per game this season, sputtered with him struggling.

"When [Olson] was complaining to the referee that we were harassing him a little bit, I could see in his eyes that he didn't know how to handle our pressure," Roberson said.

A floating layup by Graves-Fulgham highlighted a 10-1 run that put the Judges up 69-55 with 1:01 remaining, effectively sealing the game.

With DeLuca sidelined by back and hamstring injuries, the Judges won with balanced scoring. Four Brandeis players scored in double-figures, led by Coppens, who finished with 17. Hill had 15 points, while guard Kevin Olson '09, who replaced guard Florian Rexhepi '08 in the starting lineup, had eight of his 12 points in the first half. Hollins chipped in with 11 points and 12 rebounds, including the two three-point plays.

Graves-Fulgham had just nine points, but Hill said his defensive effort on Andrew Olson throughout the game was the key to the Judges' win.

"[Graves-Fulgham] is one of the best point guards in Division III that nobody talks about," Hill said. "Everyone wants to talk about [Andrew] Olson, or [Washington University in St. Louis junior Sean] Wallis, but [Graves-Fulgham] locked Olson up all game."

Amherst shot 51 percent from the field, compared to just 44 percent for Brandeis, but the Judges won the game at the free throw line, attempting 30 foul shots compared to just 11 for the Lord Jeffs. The Judges made 22 of those free throws, compared to just eight for the Lord Jeffs, giving them a 14-point advantage at the line.

"We really wanted to be aggressive going to the basket," Hill said. "They're a big team, but they're a little slow-footed, so we were able to attack them off the dribble."

The victory was particularly important because of the Judges' loss to Umass-Dartmouth last Thursday. After Graves-Fulgham sent the game into overtime by hitting a layup with 23 seconds remaining in regulation, the Judges missed all six of their overtime field goals and fell 71-64. A second consecutive loss before UAA play might have jeopardized the team's NCAA Tournament chances, but fueled by the home crowd, the Judges were able to stop the bleeding.

"This was the plan all along," Meehan said. "We wanted to generate excitement and get the students yelling and screaming and acting like real college kids. Clearly, Brandeis has arrived when they can get a crowd like this here on a Saturday afternoon during Hanukkah and finals."

The Judges close their semester with a home game Tuesday against Curry College at 7 p.m.