WORCESTER, Mass. (taken from a Clark University press release)
-- In their first contest after being ranked No. 3 in the nation by
d3hoops.com, the Brandeis University men's basketball team improved
to 7-0 with an 82-71 win over Clark University (3-3) today.
Sophomore forward Terrell Hollins (Springfield, Mass.) led Brandeis
with 21 points, while classmate Andre Roberson (Springfield,
Mass.), a guard, added another 20, including 17 in the
second half. Senior forward Stephen Hill (Brighton, Mass.) chipped
in with 13 points and seven rebounds.
Mark Alexander (Providence, R.I.) put up 20 points with three
steals to lead the Cougars. Peter Normandin (Westminster, Mass.)
shot a perfect 14-14 from the line with 17 total points and five
rebounds, while Pat Landers (Worcester, Mass.) and Jack Minister
(Manchester, England) added 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Cougars found themselves in a hole early as Brandeis opened the
game with a 13-0 run until Normandin got Clark started with a
3-point shot to break a seven minute scoring drought. Once on the
board, Clark battled back from a 12-point deficit as it outscored
the Judges 18-6 over a five minute stretch to knot the score at 23
on a traditional three-point play by Minister.
Brandeis tried to pull away again as it gained a four-point
advantage on a trifecta by Roberson, but Alexander answered with a
trey of his own to keep the Cougars within one (30-31). Four
straight free throws from Normandin and a jumper from Alexander
gave Clark its first lead of the game (36-31) with just 55 seconds
on the clock. A lay-up by Hill, however, brought Brandeis within
two (38-36) just before the half.
In the second period, five consecutive points from Hill left Clark
down 43-40 until Minister'’s 3-pointer once again tied the
score. Brandeis slowly built up a lead, however, with a 20-7 run
over seven minutes to gain a 63-50 advantage. Roberson and Hollins
teamed up for 13 points during the burst.
A lay-up from Landers cut the Brandeis lead to single digits
(57-66), but a 3-pointer from Joe Coppens (Rockland, Mass.) left
Clark down by 12 with under four minutes to play to put the game
out of reach.
The Cougars shot 18-19 from the line, good for a 94.7 free throw
percentage. Brandeis ruled the paint in the match, scoring 38
points inside to Clark'’s eight.
Clark hosts Fitchburg State College on Thursday (7 pm) while
Brandeis heads to UMass-Dartmouth the same day (7 pm).