HOOPcoming and Alumni Family Day brought two exciting men's basketball games to Red Auerbach Arena this weekend, though Brandeis could only come away with a single victory. The Judges defeated the visiting University of Rochester Yellowjackets, 83-66, on Friday night, and then lost to the Emory University Eagles, 94-88, on Sunday afternoon. The weekend split gives the Judges a 9-7 record, 1-4 in University Athletic Association play.

On Sunday, the game was fast-paced throughout. Emory took an early lead, but Brandeis was able to make its own run and keep the game close at the half.

Despite Brandeis' ability to seemingly score at will, the defense could not corral the Eagles, leading to a 55-52 deficit at halftime.

Brandeis' first half scoring-explosion was led by 19 points from guard Gabriel Moton '14, as he connected on six out of 11 shots he attempted from the field and five of six from the free throw line.

The second half started out with more of the same, as both teams were getting up and down the court. Moton and Emory senior guard Michael Florin traded baskets, as neither team could stop the opposing guard. Moton added another 13 points in the second half to finish with a game-high 32 points. Florin finished with 26 as the Judges just couldn't stop him from getting into the paint at will.

Florin's penetration was key to the Eagles' victory. Guard Robinson Vilmont '17 tried to explain why the Judges couldn't keep him out of the paint during the game.

"We picked him up too early," he said. "We should have picked him up from half court and gave him space because he can't shoot. All of his points were blow-past layups."

Despite the spotty defense, the Judges were able to keep the game close throughout the second half. With 10 minutes left the Judges actually led 75-73 after guard Derek Retos '14 nailed a pull-up jumper.

From there, Emory went on its run, pulling out to a 90-84 lead with 4:34 remaining.

But Brandeis wouldn't give up.

The Judges cut the lead to two, 90-88, and got a stop with 44 seconds left. On the ensuing possession, coach Brian Meehan elected not to call a time-out. This resulted in Vilmont driving down the lane and tossing up an erratic shot, looking for the foul. Unfortunately for the Judges, the referees did not make a call and Emory knocked down their free throws to edge out the victory.

Retos added 16 points and knocked down four more three-pointers. He also made two free throws, making him the current leader in free throw percentage in Brandeis history. Emory senior forward Jake Davis added 20 points in the win.

Meehan never put two big men in the game at once, and perhaps Brandeis' defense was subpar because of that. Emory also out-rebounded Brandeis 40-27, which could also be a consequence of the small lineup.

Vilmont said that Brandeis lost the game the usual way.
"We had too many turnovers, and we didn't finish on open shot opportunities," he reasoned.

On Friday, the Judges managed to come away with the victory at home in a convincing manner.

Despite employing a smaller lineup in that game as well, Brandeis was able to use stifling defense to hold Rochester to just 66 points on 44 percent shooting, and only allowed seven offensive rebounds.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair, as neither team managed to take a significant lead. The Judges took a 36-32 lead into halftime, led by Moton's 15 points.

The offense took over for Brandeis in the second half, led by Retos, who lit it up from beyond the arc, knocking down all three of his attempts. He is now shooting 44.2 percent from three-point range this season, an incredibly high percentage.

The Judges extended the lead to 10 points, 60-50, on a Retos three-pointer at the 10:55 mark.

This was during a run where Retos scored eight out of 10 Judges points in less than two minutes.

From there, the Judges never looked back, extending the lead to as much as 19.

Moton led all scorers with 21 efficient points. Guard Ben Bartoldus '14 added 17, including an emphatic put-back dunk in the early going that got the packed arena onto its feet.

Retos added 11 off the bench. He now has 201 three pointers in his career, second on the all-time list.

The Judges take to the road for their upcoming games, traveling to Case Western Reserve University on Friday, then heading to Carnegie Mellon University to take on the Tartans on Sunday.