Vilmont's career-high 24 not enough as men's hoops falls to CMU 78-64

Robinson Vilmont '17 (photo by Dean Reid / D3Photography,com
Robinson Vilmont '17 (photo by Dean Reid / D3Photography,com

PITTSBURGH, Pa. – Brandeis University senior guard Robinson Vilmont (Cambridge, Mass./Wilbraham and Monson Acad.) scored a career-high 24 points, but it wasn't enough as the Judges suffered a 78-64 University Athletic Association defeat to host Carnegie Mellon this evening.  With the loss, the Judges fall to 7-13, 3-7 in the UAA, while the Tartans improve to 12-9, 6-4 UAA.

Vilmont eclipsed his previous career high of 22 points by hitting 6-of-12 overall, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 9-of-11 from the line. Fifteen of his 22 came in the second half. Vilmont also led the Judges with seven rebounds and four assists.

Junior Nate Meehan (Lowell, Mass./Phillips Andover Acad.) added 17 points, setting a new season high. Meehan connected on 3-of-4 from beyond the arc with two free throws. He scored 11 points in the second half. Rookie Eric D'Aguanno (Saunderstown, R.I./St. Andrews School) added 10 points in 22 minutes off the bench.

CMU countered with three double-digit scorers of their own, including a pair with double-doubles. Center Chris Shkil had 21 points and 12 boards, while also blocking three shots. Forward Jack Serbin chipped in 16 points and a game-high 16 rebounds. Forward Seth Henry added 14 points. Henry and Serbin each hit two of CMU's six 3-pointers. Tartan guard Ryan Maha had five assists.

Brandeis lost the battle of the boards, 42-31, leading to a 26-12 edge in points in the paint. Despite a slim turnover deficit (16 for the Judges, 14 for the Tartans), CMU was able to convert theirs into nearly twice as many points, 23-14.

Brandeis jumped out to a 9-3 lead less than two minutes into the game as junior Jordan Cooper (Weston, Fla./Sagemont School), Meehan and Vilmont all hit early 3-pointers. The Judges would go just 2-for-10 from downtown the rest of the first half, allowing the home team to get back into things. CMU took the lead on a Shkil dunk 4:30 into the contest, and the Tartans never trailed again. Brandeis tied things a couple of times early, but Carnegie Mellon ended the half on a 6-0 run to take a 37-29 lead into the locker room.

The home team didn't let up in the second half, extending their momentum with a 10-1 run over the first four minutes after halftime. A Seth Henry trifecta 16:11 into the second half pushed Carnegie Mellon's lead to 47-30. Though the Judges would climb back with in double digits after Meehan hit two free throws after a technical foul about midway though the second, CMU scored the game's next 13 points to put the game away.

Brandeis returns to action Sunday at noon at Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland.