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While the men's basketball squad escaped Winter Storm Nemo during its University Athletic Association road trip through Pittsburgh and Cleveland, the Judges failed to avoid defeat on the court. 
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They managed a late comeback against the 4-16 Carnegie Mellon University Tartans on Friday night, edging out the hosts by a 73-68 margin. But on Sunday, Brandeis fell behind the 10-11 Case Western Reserve University Spartans by as many as 22 points before making a late surge, eventually losing 56-47. The weekend split gives the Judges a 16-6 (7-4 UAA) record.
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While the split certainly was a disappointing result, the injuries the team experienced during the trip were certainly worse. Guard Ben Bartoldus '14 went down in the Friday night game with a fractured big toe. Guard Gabriel Moton '14 was a late scratch due to plantar fasciitis and forward Alex Stoyle '14-last week's UAA player of the week-and forward Anthony Trapasso '13 did not travel with the team due to illness. Their absences were felt throughout most of the game.
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Against Case, guard Derek Retos '14 twisted his ankle in the first half and sat on the sideline, icing his ankle the rest of the game. Moton played in the game, but the team's lack of offensive firepower was evident.
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The Judges managed to score just 47 points against Case, their lowest total since the first game of the season, a 46-44 loss to Rhode Island College. They shot just 29.5 percent from the field and 60 percent from the foul line.
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"Whenever we're playing ball, things happen," guard Jay Freeman '13 said, regarding the injuries. "We have to try to overcome it as a team and try to bounce back and win a game. They went down, so you still have to play."
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"We missed Derek [Retos] because of his three point shooting, and Ben [Bartoldus] can score, so he would have helped us as well."
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The Judges started out with a quick 10-4 run just five minutes into the match against Case, and even with injuries, it looked like they could win the game. However, the Spartans ended the half on a 22-8 run to take a 26-18 halftime lead.
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Without Retos, Coach Brian Meehan tried a bigger lineup to start the second half, and brought in forward Ishmael Kalilou '15 to try and find some scoring to fuel a comeback. However, shortly after, Kalilou received an elbow to the head, and was taken out of the game. 
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The teams traded baskets for the first eight minutes of the half. With 12:20 left, the Judges found themselves in a 38-30 deficit.
The turning point in the game, though, followed a three-point attempt from guard Colby Smith '16. The shot caromed off the back of the rim and Case secured the rebound. The Spartans went down the court and nailed a jumper, swinging the momentum back in their favor. From that point on, the game was out of reach.
Center Youri Dascy '14 led the Judges with 16 points and 11 rebounds, although he shot just 5-for-16 from the field. Moton added 12 points and six rebounds, while Freeman scored nine off the bench.
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Meehan reflected on what the injuries from the weekend mean for the team going forward.
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"There are a couple of problems," he said. "Ben [Bartoldus] and Derek [Retos] are two of our most experienced guys. Ben defends our opponents' best scorer, and Derek has provided us with a lot of offense off the bench. As captains they're leaders on the floor."
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"Right now, I have no idea what we're going to do as far as changes. We'll have to change the offense a little, move things around and give different guys more responsibility."
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On Friday, the shorthanded Judges opened up the game strongly, establishing a 24-24 tie with seven minutes and 16 seconds to go in the first half. On the next possession, Carnegie Mellon senior guard Andre Moore nailed a three-pointer to give Carnegie a 27-24 lead, and from there, they held the lead for almost the rest of the game. The Tartans entered halftime with a 35-31 lead.
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With four minutes left in the game, Moore hit a layup to equal the Tartans biggest lead, 61-48. Then, the Judges went on a run.
Retos nailed a three-pointer and Meehan called a timeout to set up the press. The defensive pressure led to an 18-6 run that cut the Tartans' lead to just one with 53 seconds to play. Freeman scored 10 of the Judges 18 points over that stretch.
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The Judges fouled on the ensuing possession, and Moore missed the front end of the one-and-one. Dascy then made a jump hook, drew a foul and made the free throw with 27 seconds to play, giving the Judges their first lead of the half, 69-67.
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With 15 seconds left, Moore drove to the basket and Dascy fouled him. He missed the first free throw and made the second, cutting the lead to one.
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The Tartans had to resort to fouling. Smith and forward Connor Arnold '14 nailed four big free throws down the stretch and the Judges squeaked out a 73-68 victory.
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"I think it was because different guys got the opportunity to play," said Arnold, referencing the comeback. "They've been ready all year. A lot of guys, like Freeman, were ready to go, and they gave us an energy we haven't seen all year."
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Retos led all scorers with 19 points, knocking down 5-of-12 three-pointers. Freeman added 18 points and five rebounds off the bench. Dascy had 16 points on six-for-seven shooting, but came off the bench as center Wouter Van der Eng '13 got the start.
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The Judges return to the court on Friday night in a home game against the University of Chicago. They play their final home game of the regular season on Sunday against Washington University in St. Louis.