Men rally past Carnegie Mellon, 72-68

Chandler Jones '21 (Photo by Sportspix.com / Mike Broglio)
Chandler Jones '21 (Photo by Sportspix.com / Mike Broglio)

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University men's basketball team closed the game on a 14-4 run over the final 4:22 as the Judges overcame a six-point deficit to defeat visiting Carnegie Mellon University, 72-68, in a University Athletic Association contest in Red Auerbach Arena. With the win, the Judges improve to 12-9 on the season, 5-5 in the UAA, while the Tartans fall to 9-12, 4-6 UAA.

HOW IT HAPPENED (CLICK FOR VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS)

  • Brandeis sophomore Chandler Jones (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Commonwealth Academy) got the game off on the right foot for the Judges, scoring seven of the team's first nine points with a steal and a slam dunk capping the run that made it 9-4 just 2:40 into the contest.
  • The Judges led by as many as eight points in the first half when junior Eric D'Aguanno (Saunderstown, R.I./St. Andrews School) hit a 3-pointer with 9:26 to play that made it 26-18.
  • The Tartans hung in, trailing 31-26 with 4:40 to go in the first, the visitors closed the first half on a 14-5 run that gave them a 40-36 lead at the break. CMU got five points in the run from Colin McNeil.
  • Carnegie Mellon took their largest lead of the game early in the second half when a Zach Watson 3-pointer made it 45-38 less than 90 seconds in.
  • The Judges answered with an 11-4 string that tied the game at 14:34 on a trifecta from senior Corey Sherman (Penn Valley, Pa./Lower Merion).
  • Both teams had a chance to snap the tie, but CMU scored seven in a row to push the lead back to 56-49 with 10:26 on the clock.
  • Brandeis again got up off the mat, with back-to-back 3-pointers from sophomore Austin Clamage (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest Academy) and Sherman cutting the lead back to one.
  • CMU's Seth Henry tipped in the Tartans' third attempt on a possession to extend the lead to seven once again at 62-55 with 7:06 remaining, but D'Aguanno halted the momentum with a 3-pointer.
  • After Trent Suddeth make a lay-up with 4:48 remaining to give the visitors a 64-58 lead, Brandeis went on the decisive run.
  • Graduate student Latye Workman (Brooklyn, N.Y./Bedford Academy) started things off by taking advantage of a lapse in the CMU defense to extend to the rim and throw down a dunk.
  • Sophomore guard Lawrence Sabir (Providence, R.I./LaSalle Academy) followed with a spin move to get to the net, and Workman executed a pick-and-roll with D'Aguanno to tie the game at 64-64 with 3:13 remaining.
  • After another stop, it was D'Aguanno's turn to get to the rim and put the Judges ahead, 66-64, with 2:43 left. It was their first lead of the second half.
  • CMU called timeout and the Tartans' Zack Howarth and the Judges' Sabir trading driving lay-up on the next three possessions to tie the game at 68-68 with 1:30 to go. Howarth was unable to convert a three-point play at that stage, leaving the game tied.
  • With 1:12 on the clock, Workman drew a foul and hit both free throws to put the Judges back ahead, 70-68.
  • After the Judges called timeout, CMU committed a turnover with 56.2 seconds left in the game. D'Aguanno's 3-point attempt on the other end just missed, and the Tartans grabbed the rebound.
  • Seth Henry drove to the net for CMU to try a contested lay-up, but Jones corralled the rebound and was fouled with 8.3 seconds left. He hit both foul shots to provide the final margin of victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • Four players for each team finished in double digits in scoring.
  • Jones was the leader for the Judges, scoring 16 points and grabbing a game-high nine rebounds. He also tied for Brandeis's lead with three assists and three steals while blocking a shot. Jones scored 14 of his 16 in the first half.
  • Sherman added 15 points and five rebounds, scoring eight points in the second stanza.
  • With Jones in foul trouble early in the second half, Workman picked up the slack, scoring 12 of his 14 points and grabbing five of his six rebounds after the break.
  • D'Aguanno also scored 14 points off the bench, outscoring the entire CMU reserves. He hit four 3-pointers, the 10th time this season he has hit that many in a game.
  • In addition to Jones, Sabir and Workman also had three assists.
  • For CMU, Seth Henry matched Jones with 16 points, while Suddeth had 12 and Zach Watson and Zach Howarth each had 11 points.
  • Henry, Howard and Suddeth tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds, while Colin McNeil led all players with six assists.
  •  It was an evenly-played game with both teams grabbing 38 rebounds, and though Braneis owned an 18-12 edge in turnovers, both teams had 13 points off their opponents miscues.
  • CMU had the advantage from the free-throw line, outscoring Brandeis 18-11, though it was an 18-7 margin until the final minute.
  • The Judges counteracted that with nine 3-pointers to just four for the Tartans.
  • Six of the Judges' 12 wins this season have come when they trailed at halftime.
  • The Judges need one more win to match their best season since 2013-14.

UP NEXT

  • Brandeis plays host to Case Western Reserve University Sunday at noon, when they will honor their seniors, Latye Workman and Corey Sherman.