Jones's big night leads men's hoops to first win of season, 91-56, at Rivier

Chandler Jones '21
Chandler Jones '21

NASHUA, N.H. – Brandeis University men's basketball junior forward Chandler Jones (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Commonwealth Academy) notched career-highs with 25 points and 17 rebounds tonight to lead the Judges to a 91-56 non-conference road victory over Rivier College. With the win, Brandeis improves to 1-1 on the season, while the Raiders fall to 1-2.

Jones reached his eighth career double-double by halftime, scoring 13 points and pulling down 11 rebounds in the first half alone. He added 12 points and six boards in the second to finish with game-highs of 25 and 17. His rebound total was the most for a Brandeis player since Latye Workman '18/MA '19 had 18 in a game in December of 2017.

Jones did much of his damage from the free-throw line, where he hit 12-of-16. He was 6-of-12 from the field with one 3-pointer. In addition to his scoring and rebounding, Jones also tied for game-high honors with three assists and two steals. He also blocked a shot.

Two other Judges reached double figures in scoring, as senior Eric D'Aguanno (Saunderstown, R.I./St. Andrew's School) finished with 20 points off the bench, hitting 6-of-11 3-pointers. He also had a fine all-around game with eight rebounds, second to Jones in the game, and tied for game-high honors with three assists. Classmate Collin Sawyer (New London, Conn./New London) added 17 points, including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. D'Aguanno and Sawyer combined for 21 points in the first half.

The Judges put the game away late in the first half. Rivier led, 18-15, with nine minutes on the clock in the first. The Judges outscored the hosts, 24-10, the rest of the way in the first to take a 39-28 lead into the break. Brandeis didn't let up in the second, opening on an 11-2 run over the first 2:51 to take their first 20-point lead on a pair of Jones foul shots that made it 50-30. The Judges shot 67% from the field (16-24) and from 3-point range (8-12) in the second half as they pulled away. The Judges led by as many as 41 points with under two minutes to go. As it was, their 91 points and 35-point margin of victory are both the largest in head coach Jean Bain's tenure.

Rivier was led by Pharraoh Davis, who had 17 points and four rebounds. Nikolas Pignone added 11 points off the bench for the Raiders. Tyler Bradanese led the home team with six rebounds.

Brandeis returns to action next Monday evening at 7 p.m. when they take on Emerson College in their first home game of the season.