WALTHAM, Mass. - Forwards Steve DeLuca (Merrimack, N.H./Merrimack) and Terrell Hollins (Springfield, Mass./Longmeadow) combined for 38 points and 18 rebounds today to lead the Brandeis University men's basketball team to an 80-56 win over visiting Tufts University in the 70th meeting between the two squads.
Brandeis (1-3) used a 13-8 run to close out the first half with a 45-35 lead. The Judges' edge came as a result of taking care of the ball, as they committed just one turnover in the first, while converting five Jumbo miscues into nine points. Hollis scored 13 of his 19 points in the first, connecting on 6-of-8 from the field with a free throw.
Tufts (2-2) twice got the lead under 10 in the first four minutes of the second and were as close as 11 points at 59-48 midway through the stanza when the Judges scored 12 unanswered points, capped by a DeLuca 3-pointer with 7:03 remaining that made the score 71-48 as Brandeis cruised from there.
Hollins and DeLuca tied for game-high scoring honors with 19 points apiece. Hollins finished the day shooting 9-of-12 from the floor with one free throw. He also pulled down a game-high 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season and the sixth of his career. DeLuca scored his 19 points on 8-of-13 shooting, including 3-of-4 from downtown. He also contributed eight rebounds as the Judges used a 42-32 advantage on the boards to help outscore Tufts, 40-20, in the paint.
Junior Kenny Small (Stratford, Conn./Stratford) was the third Brandeis player in double figures with 11 points in 17 minutes off the bench. Classmate Andre Roberson (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson Acad.) led all players with six assists, while sophomore forward Christian Yemga (Yaounde, Cameroon/Proctor Acad.) had five helpers, as the Judges recorded 22 assists on 30 baskets.
Tufts featured balanced scoring, with two starters, senior Aaron Gallant (Bangor, Maine/Bangor) and junior Jon Pierce (Belmont, Mass./Phillips Exeter) scoring 13 points each and a third, sophomore Matt Galvin (Floral Park, N.Y./Regis) contributing 12 points. Pierce led the Jumbos with eight rebounds, but no other Tufts player had more than four. Five different Tufts players recorded two assists. Brandeis held the Jumbos to just 33.3 percent shooting for the game (22-66), including 22.6 percent in the second half (7-31).
Brandeis - which has won four of the last five meetings between the two teams to cut Tufts's lead in the all-time series to 36-34 - is next in action on Tuesday evening when they take on Babson College in Wellesley at 8:00 p.m., while the Jumbos' next contest is at home against Lesley College the same night at 7:00 p.m.