Men's five-game winning streak halted by Wesleyan, 78-67

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University men's basketball team saw a five-game winning streak snapped today as the Judges dropped a 78-67 non-conference decision to Wesleyan University in Red Auerbach Arena. The Judges fall to 6-2 on the season, while the Cardinals improve to 5-3.

CLICK FOR HIGHLIGHTS

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Wesleyan did not trail in the first half as the Cardinals established a 38-34 lead.
• The visitors were ahead by as many as 12 points after a J.R. Bascomb (Edina, Minn./Blake School) free throw at the 11:36 mark made it 23-11.
• Brandeis answered with the next eight points – five from junior Collin Sawyer (New London, Conn./New London) – to close within 23-19. The lead bounced between one and five points before a late Antone Walker (Philadelphia, Pa./Friends Central) put-back gave Wesleyan the four-point edge at the break.
• Brandeis stayed within close range in the early stages of the second half, finally claiming a 49-47 lead on a Chandler Jones (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Commonwealth Academy) 3-pointer from the elbow at the 10:35 mark.
• Wesleyan's Jordan James (Vienna, Va./George C. Marshall) tied it up and Brandeis grad student Latye Workman (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bedford Academy) made it a 51-49 lead for the Judges.
• Walker responded with a 3-pointer of his own at the 8:47 mark to give the Cardinals a 52-51 lead they would not relinquish. He scored his team's next four points from the free throw line, while a Kevin McDonald (Rockville, Md./Georgetown Prep) trifecta made it 59-53 for Wesleyan with 6:51 to play.
• Brandeis answered with a four-point possession from Workman, who hit one-of-two from the line, then converted a traditional three-point play after Jones corralled the rebounds on the missed foul shot.
• Trailing 59-57, Brandeis got a stop, but couldn't convert, and the Cardinals' Jordan Bonner (Houston, Texas/St. Andrews (Del.)) made them pay with a 3-pointer at the 5:04 mark that made it a two-possession game.
• From there, Wesleyan made 13-of-14 free throws, with a Bonner 3-pointer mixed in, as the visitors held on the for the 78-67 win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Brandeis had three players score in double figures, led by Jones, who scored 13 of his team- and career-high 18 points in the second half.
• Jones hit 7-of-16 from the field, including 4-of-8 from downtown.
• Jones also matched a career-high with five assists and grabbed six rebounds.
• Sawyer added 15 points, 11 coming in the first half.
• Workman finished with 12 points – eight after the break – and matched Jones with six rebounds.
• Sophomore Lawrence Sabir (Providence, R.I./LaSalle Academy) matched Jones with five assists.
• For Wesleyan, Bonner led all players with a double-double performance of 22 points and 10 rebounds. He hit 5-of-11 overall, 4-of-7 from deep, and all eight of his free throws.
• Walker and Austin Hutcherson (New York, N.Y./Hun School) each scored 17 points for the Cardinals. Hutcherson also led the visitors with five assists.
• Brandeis won the turnover battle, 19-6, and converted them into a 17-7 edge in points off turnovers.
• Wesleyan, meanwhile, controlled the boards, outrebounding Brandeis, 42-23. The Cardinals also outscored the Judges, 22-8 from the free-throw line, hitting on 91.7% (22-24).
• The 78 points scored by the Cardinals were the most allowed by the Judges this season and were 20 points more than they were allowing per game this season. Brandeis entered the game ranked second in Division III in scoring defense.

UP NEXT

• The Judges close out the semester Tuesday evening at 6:30 p.m. at Emerson College.
• Wesleyan travels to Florida on December 18 and 19 where they will meet Penn State-Harrisburg and Plattsburgh State.