Something about Becker College brings out the best in guard Derek Retos '14.

Retos scored 23 points-18 in the second half-to lead the Judges to a 77-62 road victory against Becker on Saturday. The victory stretches the Judges' winning sterak to five games and improves their record to 5-1 on the season.

Last season, Retos scored a career-high 28 points at home against Becker, shooting 8-for-13 from beyond the three-point arc. He nearly matched that on Saturday, going 7-for-11 from three-point territory, including six in a row in the second half.

"I have just been able to get in a good rhythm against them," said Retos.

Before Saturday, Retos had not scored more than nine points in a game this season. He attributes the low scoring output to opponents' strategies and credits his teammates for finding him when he had the hot hand on Saturday.

"Teams this season have really tried to limit my shots, so it's been difficult at times to get shots," he said. "I always try to stay patient, let the game come to me and not force anything. Even though it can be frustrating to not score, that's what I have done and the patience paid off in the last game."

The first half was a very unstable affair, as it featured four ties and four lead changes. The Judges took a 32-28 lead into halftime, and even though the visitors had the advantage at the break, it looked like it would be a tough game for the Judges to win on the road.

Point guard Gabe Moton '14, who was named the University Athletic Association Player of the Week for his performances during the week of Nov. 26, contributed 12 points, eight rebounds and five assists in another well-rounded game for the Judges. Center Youri Dascy '14 scored 12 points on 5-of-5 shooting and grabbed four rebounds, but played just 16 minutes because of foul trouble.

Forward Alex Stoyle '14 scored six points and had eight rebounds, and forward Kevin Trotman '16 played minutes down the stretch and finished with eight points.

"Our plan going into the second half was to pound the ball inside because we shot terribly in the first half and we were so much bigger than them," Stoyle said. "But when Derek started to heat up, we knew we had to keep feeding him and get him more shots."

Last Tuesday, the Judges defeated Clark University 67-58 at the Red Auerbach Arena.

The first half saw three ties and two lead changes, and the biggest lead stood at eight for the Judges at 16-8. The Judges took a 34-28 lead into halftime, but they had to fight for every basket.

The Judges opened the second half on a tear. Dascy scored the first three baskets, all jump hooks with his right hand, opening up the lead to 40-28 just one minute, 50 seconds into the half. After the margin swelled to 14, the Cougars went on an 8-0 run to cut the lead to just six, 44-38.

Then, Clark started to crank up the pressure, as they cut the lead to four points twice in the last eight minutes. However, they would get no closer than that, allowing the Judges to run out the clock on a moderately comfortable victory.
Dascy led the Judges with 17 points on 8-of-12 shooting and 11 rebounds. Moton tallied 13 points, 10 rebounds and four assists.

Guard Ben Bartoldus '14 contributed 12 points on 3-of-12 shooting, and Stoyle added 11 points, six rebounds and four assists. Retos was held scoreless.
Graduate student forward Brian Vayda led the Cougars with 24 points, draining 7-of-12 from the field and all nine free throws.

However, the visitors had quite a bit of trouble shooting field goals, as only one other Clark player managed more than two-fellow graduate student forward DJ Bailey notched three field goals and a free-throw in scoring seven points for Clark.

Though Vadya posed a significant threat, Stoyle emphasized that the nullifying of his impact was a complete team effort.

"We knew [Vayda] was a great player and was going to get his [points]," said Stoyle. "I did my best to isolate him and not let him get easy shots but it came down to the rest of the team locking down their other guys and not letting them get going."

Brandeis plays at Lasell College tonight at 8 p.m. They come back home to face the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts on Wednesday.