As the clock wound down to the final minute in the men's basketball match against Amherst College last Saturday, Brandeis students stormed onto the court, mobbing the players after a Cinderella upset.

Brandeis outscored the No. 2-ranked Lord Jeffs by 11 points in the second half en route to a impressive 76-61 victory. Despite going 2-5 in their first seven games, the Judges have righted the ship, reeling off their third win in a row and improving their record to 5-5. Amherst falls to 8-1 with the loss.

Guard Ben Bartoldus '14 turned in another impressive performance, finishing with a career-high 23 points, leading all scorers on the night. Bartoldus has averaged 19 points per game over the team's last four games, a huge factor in Brandeis' winning streak.

"I personally needed to find my rhythm again after missing the pre-season," Bartoldus said. "My team and coaching staff have always had confidence in me."

Forward Vytas Kriskus '12, starting for the second game in a row, had another standout performance, finishing second on the team in scoring with 17 points while also adding nine rebounds. Center Youri Dascy '14 finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, and guard Derek Retos '14 scored nine on three-of-five shooting from three-point range. Point guard Tyrone Hughes '12 rounded out the starting five with eight points and eight assists.

Overall, Bartoldus acknowledged it was an exciting game for the Judges to play in, especially against such a formidable opponent.

"We were all really excited and focused for this game," Bartoldus said. "This game gave our team the opportunity to showcase our true talent. Plus, it's Amherst. That's motivation; we have to beat them."

Hughes noted that the team finally came together in the game against Amherst.

"We had to put our foot down and stop the bleeding," he said. "We were making excuses for ourselves and just not remaining focused and paying attention to detail."

The game started out in seesaw fashion, with neither team possessing a lead larger than six. The Judges found themselves down 20-14 midway through the first half, but they fought to take back the lead 23-22. After that, Brandeis would not look back.

With 15 seconds left in the half and the Judges leading 29-28, Hughes drove down the lane. He kicked the ball out to Kriskus on the wing, who nailed a three-pointer at the buzzer to give the Judges a 32-28 lead at the half.

Brandeis started the second half with the same offensive intensity, outscoring Amherst 17-6 over the first 6 minutes, 28 seconds. Bartoldus led the charge, scoring 11 points during that span, including two long three-pointers, extending the lead to 13 points.

However, the Lord Jeffs would not give up so easily. With 10:51 to play, they cut the lead back down to 50-44. After the teams traded baskets, the Judges reeled off another big run over the next five minutes, outscoring Amherst 14-4 to take a commanding 66-50 lead. Brandeis held on to its double-digit lead for the rest of the game.

The Gosman Sports and Convocation Center was shaking, with fans mobbed as close to the court as they could get.

Earlier in the week, the Judges traveled to Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts, knocking off the Trailblazers 83-68. They led from wire to wire, with the Judges' lead stretching to as many as 18 points. Bartoldus led Brandeis in scoring with 22 points

Midway through the opening half, Brandeis found itself up 27-12. The teams played relatively evenly for the rest of the half, as the Judges ended with a 45-31 lead.

MCLA rallied in the second half, cutting the lead to nine points with 6:10 left in the game. Another Retos three-pointer thwarted the rally. After that dagger, MCLA never seriously threatened again.

Retos finished with 21 points, shooting 4-8 from three-point range. Kriskus added 13 points in just 21 minutes, and Dascy rounded out his night with 11 points and nine rebounds. Hughes scored seven points and dished out six assists.

Overall, Hughes emphasized that the Judges' newfound offensive and defensive prowess was the key factors in the victory.

"We bought into what coach [Meehan] was saying about keeping people out of the middle of the lane because that's when they're most dangerous," he said.

"On offense, we're learning to stay disciplined by setting good screens. In turn, that's opening up the driving lanes for me to create and attack … as well as enabling our shooters to take good, open shots."

After a long break, the Judges next play at home against Bates College on Dec. 30. They begin University Athletic Association play a week later, starting at New York University on Jan. 7.