ROCHESTER, N.Y. -- The Brandeis men's basketball team got 16 points and a career-high 21 rebounds from senior forward Terrell Hollins (Springfield, Mass./Longmeadow) as the Judges advanced to the Sweet 16 of the 2010 NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Tournament with a 66-52 road win over St. John Fisher College tonight.
The Judges will face Rhode Island College, who defeated Middlebury, 75-59, in the Sweet 16 next Friday, March 12, at Williams College in Williamstown, Mass. The Judges and Anchormen will play at 6 p.m., followed by Williams and SUNYIT at 8 p.m., with the winners meeting at 7 p.m. on March 13 for a berth in the Final Four. Tickets are $7 for adults, $3 for students, seniors and children. The game will be broadcast on WBRS-FM, 100.1 and http://www.wbrs.org. On-line video details will be posted when available.
Hollins recorded his 13th double-double of the season and the 21st of his career in the first half with 13 points and 14 boards in the first 20 minutes of action. Hollins leaped from 10th to 7th on the Judges' career rebounding list with 677, while his 21 rebounds were just nine fewer than the entire St. John Fisher team. His 16 points came on 5-of-12 from the field and 6-of-10 from the line, while five of his rebounds came on the offensive glass. Hollins also tied for game-high honors with four assists.
Three other Brandeis players scored in double figures. Sophomore guard Vytas Kriskus (Kvedarna, Lithuania/Holderness School) came off the bench to lead the team in scoring for the second-straight game, tallying 17 points in 26 minutes. Kriskus connected on 6-of-10 overall, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 2-of-3 from the line. Senior Kenny Small (Stratford, Conn./Stratford) had his second-straight hot game from beyond the arc, hitting 4-of-5 from range and 2-of-3 from the line for 14 points. For the entire weekend, Kriskus and Small connected on a remarkable 17-for-23 (73.9%) from 3-point range.
Senior Andre Roberson (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson) added 11 points, including the 1,000th of his career on a 3-pointer just under three minutes into the contest. With the bucket, he became the 28th player in school history to reach the plateau. Roberson also matched Hollins for game-high honors with four assists.
As a team, Brandeis shot 43.7 percent from the floor and scored 66 points against the team ranked sixth in Division III in field-goal percentage defense (37.4%) and scoring defense (59.0 ppg). Thanks to Hollins, they out-rebounded the Cardinals, 39-30, and held a team hitting 48.8% from the field for the season to 38.0%.
St. John Fisher was paced by 16 points from sophomore guard Jordan Gettings (Cohoes, N.Y.) and 12 from senior guard Matt Newman (Campbell, N.Y.). Junior guard Brandon Witte (Baldwinsville, N.Y.) added nine points off the bench. Sophomore Connor Henderson (Canandaigua, N.Y.) topped the Cardinals with eight rebounds and junior Will Cornett (Campbell, N.Y.) had three assists.
The game turned midway through the first half. With the game tied at 15-15, the Judges embarked on a 9-1 run over a span of 2:35 to take a 24-16 lead they would never relinquish. Hollins opened the run with a put-back and Kriskus followed with a 3-pointer. A Fisher free throw was followed by a Kriskus jumper and Hollins cleaning up the glass for another lay-in and the Judges never looked back. They took a 35-27 lead into the locker room and extended it to 17 in the second. SJF clawed within eight points twice in the last five minutes, but Brandeis was able to keep the Cardinals at bay.
Brandeis improves to 21-6 with the win as the Judges' Class of 2010 picked up their program record 81st career win. This is the second trip to the sectional round under head coach Brian Meehan and first since 2008. It is also the first time the Judges have advanced to a sectional on the road, with their first two wins two years ago coming in the friendly confines of Auerbach Arena.
St. John Fisher closes its season at 23-6.