The men's basketball team entered Saturday's game against Rhode Island College at a critical crossroad. The Judges staged a furious rally to edge University of Massachusetts Dartmouth by a 96-90 margin, and after that, recorded their second 100-point result over the Framingham State University Rams to improve to 3-0. However, Brandeis' hopes were dashed after a last-second layup, falling to RIC 73-72.

RIC Senior guard Michael Palumbo was hit on a backdoor cut for a buzzer-beating, wide-open layup to propel the Anchormen to the win on Saturday.

When asked what happened on that final play against RIC, g
uard Ben Bartoldus '14 responded in a few words.

"[It was] a series of unfortunate events," he said.

In that game on Saturday, the Judges were sloppy from the start. They broke out to an early 11-7 lead, but Rhode Island College figured out the Judges' press and used this knowledge to fuel their run. By the end of the first half, Brandeis gave up on the press and the Anchormen found themselves with a 42-33 lead heading into the break.

The second half proved to be much of the same for both teams. The squads traded baskets for the first 16 minutes of the half.

The Judges kept getting to the free throw line and the Anchormen continued to dictate the pace of the game offensively.

With 4:09 left, the Judges again resorted to the press. Bartoldus was fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three free throws. After a failed RIC possession, Bartoldus came down and hit a three-pointer. Brandeis' press then forced two turnovers, resulting in a layup by Bartoldus and two free throws from guard Gabe Moton '14 with just 3:03 left. The Judges managed to score 10 points in just over a minute.

"I think it was just a matter of momentum," Bartoldus said. "The ball started coming our way and we took advantage of the opportunities."

The Judges were down 71-70 with a minute left and without the ball. Great defense forced a shot-clock violation and the game suddenly seemed to be in the Judges' hands. The crowd was on its feet as Bartoldus drove down the lane on the next possession. His shot was blocked but he got his own rebound underneath the basket. As Bartoldus fell out of bounds, coach Brian Meehan called a timeout with 8.6 seconds left.

Meehan drew up a perfect play. Guard Colby Smith '16 found forward Alex Stoyle '14 wide open from just inside the free throw line, and the jumper led to an eruption from the crowd as the Judges took a 72-71 lead with 6.8 seconds left.

Unfortunately for the Judges, RIC came up with a great play of their own, resulting in the back-door layup by Palumbo.
Bartoldus led the Judges with 19 points despite battling foul trouble in the first half. Moton added 16 points, 11 rebounds, six assists and four steals. Guard Robinson Vilmont '17 scored 13.

Bartoldus attributed the Judges' great play thus far in the season to a new system and sound execution.

"Our new offensive structure has enabled us to push the tempo, which I think has been key," he said. "Also, we have been looking for the extra pass as of late."

On Thursday, though, the game was virtually over before it started. The Judges jumped out to an early 14-2 lead and never looked back. They took a 54-29 lead into halftime and kept the lead early in the second half, allowing Meehan to play the bench.

Sharpshooting guard Derek Retos '14 led Brandeis with 17 points. Moton and Stoyle added 11, as all 15 players scored for the Judges-the second time they have managed that feat already this season.

Tuesday's game against University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, though, was not as easy. The Corsairs led 30-16 with 7:22 to go in the first half. From there, Brandeis went on a tear with Moton leading the way. He scored 20 points from that 7:22 mark, including 15 in a row, leading to a 45-39 lead at the halftime break.

With 13:55 left in the game, the Judges held their largest lead, leading the Corsairs by a 64-49 score. The Corsairs would not go down easily though. They cut the lead to four points twice, the last at 87-83 with 1:12 on the clock. Free throws by Moton, Retos, and Bartoldus allowed the Judges to keep the lead, and from there the Judges won 96-90 over the Corsairs.

Moton scored a career-high 32 points while adding five rebounds and four assists. Bartoldus scored 17 points while Stoyle and Vilmont added 13 points for the Judges.

Brandeis plays tonight at home against Lasell College before earning a week-long break.
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