WALTHAM, Mass. - Senior forward Terrell Hollins (Springfield, Mass./Longmeadow) had a career day in leading the 20th-ranked Brandeis University men's basketball team past Carnegie Mellon University, 72-59, in University Athletic Association (UAA) action today.
Hollins scored 19 points, including the 1000th of his career late in the second half. He also grabbed 16 rebounds, matching a career-high, while also leading all players with six assists, three blocked shots (also a career-best) and three steals.
Hollins reached the milestone with a lay-up at the 4:43 mark of the second half, giving him 1,001 career points, tied with Marc Peabody '90 for 26th in career scoring. He shot 9-of-14 from the field with a free throw. Four of Hollins's 16 rebounds came on the offensive glass, while his six assists were one shy of a career-high. His double-double performance was his fourth in a row, sixth of the season and the 15th of his career.
Brandeis (14-3, 5-2 UAA) enior guard Kenny Small (Stratford, Conn./Stratford) led all scorers with 26 points, thanks to a 6-of-7 performance from beyond the arc, while also connecting on all four free throws. Two other Brandeis players scored in double figures, as senior guard Andre Roberson (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson) had 12 points and sophomore back-court mate Tyrone Hughes (Dorchester, Mass./Taft School) finished with 10.
Carnegie Mellon (4-14, 0-7) lost its sixth-straight game against the Judges and their 11th in a row this season despite their own double-double from junior forward Matthew Pettit (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer), who had 14 points and 13 rebounds. Six of his caroms came on the offensive glass, helping the Tartans to a 13-9 edge in second-chance points. Senior guard Jack Anderson (Beaver Falls, Pa./Beaver Falls) led CMU with 15 points and blocked three shots to match Hollins. Junior forward Shane Rife (Mercersburg, Pa./James Buchanan) came off the bench to score 13 points as the Tartan reserves outscored Brandeis's 25-1.
Brandeis never trailed in the game. With the game tied at 5-5 in the early going, they went on a 12-4 run over a stretch of 3:15 that gave them the lead for good. Two Small trifectas capped the run. Carnegie Mellon answered and eventually climbed within one, 27-26, with 5:41 remaining before halftime. Brandeis answered with 12 unanswered points in the next three-plus minutes, thanks in large part to Hollins, who had a basket and two assists in a string that ended with a Roberson jumper. CMU scored eight of the half's final 10 points to trail by a 41-34 margin at the break. Small led all players with 18 points on four 3-pointers, while Hollins and CMU's Pettit each had 13 points and six boards in the first.
The Tartans scored the first two hoops of the second half, getting within 41-38 on a jumper by senior Jon Wolleben (Plattsburgh, N.Y./Plattsburgh). The deficit was still five, 47-42, on a steal and lay-up by Rife with 12:39 left in the contest. Brandeis responded with an 11-3 stretch over 4:17, during which Hollins had three blocked shots, four rebounds and put an exclamation point on the game with a steal and thunderous dunk at the 8:22 mark that gave the Judges their largest lead of the game, 13 points, at 58-45. The Judges were able to control the action the rest of the way.
Brandeis and Carnegie Mellon will meet again in Pittsburgh next Sunday afternoon, after the Judges take on Case Western Reserve next Friday evening while the Tartans are playing NYU.