After a tough three game conference losing streak, the men's basketball team got back on track with two University Athletic Association home victories over the weekend, cruising against Case Western Reserve University by an 85-74 margin on Friday and routing Carnegie Mellon University by an 87-62 margin on Sunday.

The Judges are now 11-9 overall and 3-6 in UAA play.

Forward Ishmael Kalilou '15 maintained that the victories came from improved play by the Judges.

"The losses came from our own mistakes that we could correct, and we learned a lot from those losses," he said. "We corrected those [mistakes]on Friday and Sunday and came up with the wins."

On Sunday, the Tartans scored the first basket of the game, but guard Ben Bartoldus '14 knocked down two free throws to tie the game and the Judges led the rest of the way. Brandeis led by as many as 14 in the first half, producing a 23-9 lead at one point in the game.

The Judges first half lead proved to be the product of a balanced attack and eight points from guard Derek Retos '14. Brandeis then took a 38-32 lead into halftime.

The Judges broke the game wide open in the second half, surging to a 12-6 run to start the half.

The Tartans kept chipping away but there was little they could do to stop the Brandeis attack.

Bartoldus contributed 19 points on six of nine shooting in just 20 minutes. Retos added 14 off the bench and knocked down two three-pointers-just two away from tying the Brandeis all-time record for three pointers made in a career.

Carnegie senior starting guard Rashaun Riley left the game just eight minutes and did not return the rest of the way, a serious blow to the offense.

The two combined for 43 points last weekend against the Judges in a Tartan victory, and on Sunday, their combined 18 minutes of playing time proved to be a key factor in the Judges' victory.

Star guard Gabe Moton '14 played just four minutes on Friday and did not play at all on Sunday, though Kalilou mentioned
that Moton has been battling nagging injuries all season.

Kalilou explained that a team-first mentality has helped overcome the loss of Moton.

"Everyone on the team knows they have to preform and rise up to the occasion, because it's been a tough season," he explained. "Everyone's ready to go out and lay even toward the end of the season."

On Friday night against the Spartans, Brandeis started slowly, falling behind 13-4 in the early going. A Retos three-pointer with five minutes, 11 seconds remaining in the first-half capped an incredible 28-4 run by the Judges. A nine-point deficit suddenly turned into a 15-point lead. Brandeis was able to weather the storm to end the half and proceeded into halftime with a comfortable 36-26 advantage.

Retos scored 11 points in just six minutes in the first half, including three for three from downtown. Smith rocked the box score with four rebounds and five assists, both of which led the Judges in the first half.

The second half was more of the same. Brandeis continued to build on the lead, and yet, the Spartans made a run to bring it close again. The Judges led by 16, cruising to a 53-37 margin with 13 minutes, 50 seconds to play. Yet, the Spartans wouldn't go away cutting the lead to six with 9:26 left to play, but could never close the gap.

Retos scored a game-high 24 points, knocking down eight of 10 shots, including four out of five from deep and four out of four from the line.

Kalilou scored 13 off the bench while forward Alex Stoyle '14 added 11 points of his own.

Brandeis looks to continue their winning ways in home games versus No. 4 Washington University in St. Louis on Friday and the University of Chicago on Sunday.