WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University men's basketball
team shot a season-high 69 percent from 3-point range (11-16) and
58 percent from the field (23-40) today as the Judges defeated the
University of Rochester, 73-66, in a University Athletic
Association (UAA) contest in Red Auerbach Arena. With the win,
Brandeis has its winningest season since going 18-10 and winning an
ECAC crown in 1991-92. The Judges also snapped an 11-game losing
streak to the Yellowjackets.
Brandeis (16-6, 6-5 UAA) put three players in double figures, paced
by 21 points from junior forward Steve DeLuca (Merrimack, N.H.),
who hit seven-of-10 from the floor, five-of-six from beyond the arc
and both free throws. Junior guard Florian Rexhepi (Skopje,
Macedonia) had 14 points on five-of-seven for the field and
two-of-three from downtown. Junior Joe Coppens (Rockland, Mass.)
rounded out the double-digit scorers with 13 points on four-of-nine
with two-of-five from deep and three-of-four from the line. Coppens
also tied for team-high honors with four rebounds with classmate
Stephen Hill (Brighton, Mass.) Junior guard Kwame Graves-Fulgham
(Amherst, Mass.) dished a game-high five assists.
Rochester (16-6, 7-4 UAA) was paced by 21 points off the bench from
junior Robert Dominiak (New York, N.Y.), who also lit it up from
long distance. Dominiak hit six-of-eight from 3-point range for 18
of his points, while his other three came after being fouled on a
trifecta. Sophomore Mike Chmielowiec (Batavia, N.Y.) added 11
points for the Yellowjackets, hitting five-of-10 from the field
with a 3-pointer. Senior Tim Brackney (Columbia, Md.) added nine
points with three 3-pointers. Junior Uche Ndubizu (West Windsor,
N.J.) had a game-high 10 rebounds, including seven on the offensive
glass to match the Judges' entire output, but only scored three
points.
With the game tied at 11-11 after a Dominiak 3-pointer eight
minutes into the contest, Brandeis went on a 12-3 run over the next
eight minutes to claim a 23-14 lead four straight points by rookie
center Rich Magee (Burke, Va.). UR got back within three on a
Chmielowiec jumper with 22 seconds left in the stanza, but a DeLuca
3-pointer bounced on the rim twice and dropped at buzzer to
foreshadow the Judges' strong second half.
Buckets by DeLuca and Hill gave Brandeis a 32-22 lead early in the
second, but Rochester answered with a 19-8 run over the next nine
minutes to claim a brief 41-40 lead on a Dominiak 3-pointer, who
went on to score UR's next nine points, but four different Judges
connected from beyond the arc on the next four trips and Brandeis
never relinquished the lead. The margin bulged to 13 points, 65-52,
with 2:02 on the clock on seven-straight points from
Graves-Fulgham. Rochester forced turnovers and hit threes of their
own to get within four three times in the last two minutes, but
eight-of-10 from the line clinched the game. The Judges shot 65
percent from the field in the second half (13-20), including
seven-of-eight from downtown.
Men's hoops shoots lights out from downtown to defeat Rochester, 73-66
Posted: Feb 11, 2007