WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University men's basketball team shot a season-high 59.1 percent from the floor (26-of-44), including an astonishing 73.7% in the second half (14-19), as the Judges defeated visiting Case Western Reserve University, 77-58, in a University Athletic Association (UAA) matchup in Red Auerbach Arena today.
With the win, the Judges improve to 11-2, 3-0 in the UAA, sitting atop the standings along with Washington University. The Spartans fall to 8-6, 1-2 UAA.
The Judges led by just four points at halftime, 33-29, but they connected on 10 of their first 12 shots – including nine in a row - in the second. After Case battled to tie the contest at 35-35 on a pair of Dane McLaughlin (Westerville, Ohio/St. Charles Prep) free throws 2:30 into the second period, Brandeis scored 15 of the next 19 points in the game to go ahead by 11. Juniors Derek Retos (No. Attleboro, Mass./Brimmer and May School), Ben Bartoldus (Hillsborough, N.H./Proctor Acad.) and Gabriel Moton (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Petersburg) scored all of Brandeis's points in the run, with two Retos foul shots at 11:52 making it a 50-39 contest.
After the Spartans scored two of the next three buckets to slow the momentum of the hosts, Brandeis embarked on another big run. A 13-3 string pushed the lead to a game-high 19 points at 65-46 on two Moton foul shots with just 7:19 remaining, and the Judges cruised from there.
Brandeis put four players in double figures for the second game in a row and fifth time this season. Moton and Retos tied for game-high honors with 17 points. Moton had eight in the first half and nine in the second, while Retos added 12 second-half points. Retos was nearly perfect for the game, hitting 5-of-6 from the field, 2-of-3 from downtown and 5-of-5 from the line. Bartoldus finished with 13 points, while sophomore Ishamel Kalilou (Windsor, Conn./Taft School) came off the bench with 10 points, his second-straight game in double figures.
Moton led all players with seven rebounds, as the Judges owned the boards, 35-23, including 18-8 in the second half. Bartoldus had five caroms to add to the total.
Junior forward Alex Stoyle (Goffstown, N.H./Tilton School) tied for game-high honors with three assists, as 10 different Brandeis players registered a total of 16 helpers on 26 baskets. In addition to their hot shooting from the floor – it was the fifth time this season they hit better than 50 percent and second time over 55 percent – the Judges also connected on 21-of-26 from the line (80.8%).
Case had three players score in double figures, with sophomore Jordan Dean (St. Johns, Fla./Creekside) matching Moton and Retos with 17 points – 10 in the second half. Dean hit 5-of-9 overall, 2-of-5 from downtown and 5-of-5 from the line. Senior Austin Fowler (Farmington Hills, Mich./Birmingham Brother Rice) and junior David Thompson (Plano, Texas/Plano Senior) each had 10 points. Fowler added a team-high six rebounds, while Thompson had five. Rookie Jimmy Holman (Ann Arbor, Mich./Pioneer) led the Spartans with three assists. Case Western Reserve was held to just 37.5% from the field (21-56), well below their 44.8% season average.
Brandeis returns to action when the Judges kick off a four-game UAA road trip at the University of Chicago next Friday evening at 9 p.m. Eastern/8 p.m. Central. Case hosts Emory University next Friday at 8 p.m. EST.