WALTHAM, Mass. – Four starters reached double figures
tonight as the visiting University of Chicago Maroons, ranked 19th
in the nation, held off a late rally to defeat the host Brandeis
University Judges, 74-69, in University Athletic Association (UAA)
play tonight in Red Auerbach Arena.
Chicago (16-3, 7-1 UAA) opened strong in the first five minutes of
action, hitting six of their first 10 shots and forcing five
Brandeis turnovers to claim a 14-2 lead on a hoop by senior Jason
Vismantis (Highland, Park, Ill.). Brandeis (13-6, 3-5 UAA) got back
into the contest midway through the first on back-to-back hoops by
junior Joe Coppens (Rockland, Mass.), including a 3-pointer with
10:11 left that cut the lead to 18-15. The Maroons answered by
scoring three points on six of their next eight possessions,
getting the margin back to nine on a Brandon Woodhead (Lincoln,
Neb.) trifecta with 5:38 left in the first. The Judges answered the
3-point barrage with four bombs of their own late to trail by six,
43-37, at the break. The teams combined to shoot 53 percent from
the floor in the first, including 54 percent from beyond the arc
(13-of-24), as UC was eight-of-16 and Brandeis five-of-eight.
Woodhead led all scorers with 12 points in the first for Chicago,
while Coppens had 10 for the Judges.
Chicago opened the second stanza on a 9-2 run over the first 4:44
to claim a their largest lead, 52-39, on a Matt Corning (Wauconda,
Ill.) long bomb. The Maroons were still ahead by 10, 57-47, with
9:40 on the clock, when the Judge made their move to get back in
the game. Rookie Terrell Hollins (Springfield, Mass.) made a
traditional three-point play, followed by a trifecta from classmate
Kenny Small (Stratford, Conn.) and a steal and a lay-up from Andre
Roberson (Springfield, Mass.) with 6:14 left that knotted the game
at 57-57. Vismantas hit a jumper to give the Maroons a 59-57 lead,
but junior Steve DeLuca (Merrimack, N.H.) drained a 3 from the top
of the key that put Brandeis ahead for the first time in the
contest. Vismantis answered with a tying free throw the next time
down and two more that put the Maroons up, 62-60. Brandeis's Kwame
Graves-Fulgham (Amherst, Mass.) tied it on a nice feed from
Roberson, but UC junior Nate Hainje (Bronwsburg, Ind.) came down
and converted a traditional three-point play for a lead the
visitors wouldn't relinquish, as they hit six-of-eight from the
line down the stretch to ice the contest.
DeLuca, who was recognized for his 1000th career point before the
game, led all scorers with 19 points, hitting eight-of-13 from the
floor with three-of-five from beyond the arc. Coppens finished with
15, hitting five-of-nine with three trifectas as well. Roberson,
Small and Hollins all ended the night with nine points each.
Roberson and Graves-Fulgham tied for team-high honors with four
assists, while four Judges had four boards apiece. The loss was
Brandeis's first in 12 home games this season and came in front of
their largest crowd of the campaign.
Chicago was paced by Woodhead's 16 points on seven-of-15 from the
floor. Vismantis finished with 13 points and a game-high seven
rebounds, while Jesse Meyer (Omaha, Neb.) had 12 and Hainje had 11
points and game-best five assists. Five different Chicago players
hit two 3-points on the night, though the Maroons hit just
two-of-11 from downtown in the second half.
Judges fall to No. 19 Chicago, 74-69
Posted: Feb 02, 2007