NEW YORK, N.Y. -- The Brandeis University men's basketball team,
ranked No. 2 in the nation, defeated host New York University
today, 66-56, to open the University Athletic Association schedule
for both teams. With the win, the Judges matched the 1956-57 and
1957-58 squads for the best 12-game start in school history at
11-1.
Brandeis (11-1, 1-0 UAA) trailed by as many as nine points early
and were down, 25-20, with 7:18 left in the first half. The Judges
outscored NYU (9-3, 0-1 UAA), 14-3, over the remainder of the first
half, taking a 34-28 lead into the locker room thanks a late
3-pointer by senior guard Florian Rexhepi (Skopje, Macedonia). A
balanced scoring attack in the first saw two players with six
points, two with five and two with four. NYU's Richie Polan had 11,
including three 3-pointers, to lead all scorers. The Violets had
six trifectas in the first half, but just one hoop from inside the
arc.
In the second stanza, Brandeis opened on a 9-4 run to take an
11-point lead on a traditional three-point play by senior guard Joe
Coppens (Rockland, Mass.) with 17:10 remaining. NYU got within two
points with just over five minutes left on the clock on another
Polan long-range bomb, but Brandeis junior Kevin Olson (Rockport,
Mass.) answered on the other end. The Violets hit one free throw on
their next possession, but were never closer than that.
Brandeis, which shot a season-high 60 percent from the field
(24-40), connect on eight-of-16 from beyond the arc. Coppens scored
11 of his team-high 17 points in the second half. For the game, he
connected on five-of-nine overall, four-of-eight from 3-point
range, and all three free-throws. He also corralled a team-high six
rebounds and made four steals. Olson was the next-leading scorer
for the Judges with nine points, while senior Kwame Graves-Fulgham
(Amherst, Mass.) and rookie Christian Yemga (Yaounde, Cameroon)
tied for team-high honors with three assists each.
NYU was paced by Polan, who finished with a game-high 22 points and
tied Coppens with six rebounds. Charlie Parker had nine points, but
shot just three-of-11, including 0-for-5 inside the arc. As a team,
the Violets connected on just 38 percent from the field (17-44),
despite going 10-21 from 3-point range (47.6%).
No. 2 Brandeis men match 50's squads for best start with 66-56 win over NYU
Posted: Jan 12, 2008