WALTHAM, Mass. - Four different starters scored in double figures tonight as the 22nd-ranked Brandeis University men's basketball team defeated Emerson College, 69-52, in Red Auerbach Arena. The Judges forced 22 Lion turnovers while committing just six of their own, leading to a commanding 28-3 edge in points scored off turnovers.
Leading the way for the Judges (2-0) was senior forward Terrell Hollins (Springfield, Mass./Longmeadow). Though the lowest scoring of the quartet to reach double figures for Brandeis with 12 points - all coming in the second half - Hollins stuffed the stat-sheet with 10 rebounds (five offensive) and three assists to tie for game-high honors, while swiping a game- and career-high four steals. The double-double was his second of the season and the 10th of his career. Senior guard Andre Roberson (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham and Monson Acad.) was the game's high scorer with 15 points, nine coming after the break. Classmate Kenny Small (Stratford, Conn./Stratford) added 14 and sophomore guard Tyrone Hughes (Dorchester, Mass./Taft School) had 13.
Emerson (1-1) also had a double-double performance, as senior pre-season All-American Jeremy Shannon (Lowell, Mass./Canterbury School) finished with 13 points and 10 rebounds. The Judges were able to contain Shannon in the second half, though, as he had nine points and eight boards in the first 20 minutes and just four points and two caroms after the break. Senior forward Bryan Rouse (East Greenwich, R.I./Toll Gate) added eight points and tied for team-high honors with sophomore Drew Venter (Boston, Mass./Mansfield) with three assists. The Lions fell despite outrebounding Brandeis, 38-27.
Brandeis trailed early in the first half, as a Shannon 3-pointer with 14:09 on the clock gave Emerson an 11-6 lead. The Judges responded with a 14-3 run to take a 20-14 edge at the 6:35 mark of the first on a Rich Magee (Burke, Va./Lake Braddock) back-door lay-up on a nice feed from Hollins. The hosts expanded the lead to 30-19 by halftime and were ahead by as many as 16 at 47-31 following a pair of Roberson free throws with 12:47 left.
Emerson made its best push at that point, scoring 11 unanswered, including a pair of Dan Boylan (Royal Oak, Mich./Shrine) 3-pointers, the last of which cut the lead to 47-42 with 9:16 on the clock. Following a Brandeis 30-second timeout, the Judges, came out on fire as Hollins sparked them to seven points in the next 45 seconds. The senior co-captain hit a short jumper on the next possession, then intercepted a pass and went in for a thunderous dunk. Hollins followed that with a strip of an Emerson player at midcourt, immediately feeding Hughes on an outlet that led to a traditional three-point play, putting the Judges ahead 54-42 with 8:31 left Hollins also scored the Judges next two buckets to push the lead to 16 and Brandeis never looked back.