WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis men's basketball fell to 0-3 on Sundays in University Athletic Association play this season, as the Judges suffered a 77-64 loss at the hands of UAA leader University of Rochester today in Red Auerbach Arena. The Judges drop to 13-4 overall, 3-4 in the UAA, while the Yellowjackets improve to 14-4, 6-1 UAA.

The lead changed hands a total of seven times and was tied three times in the first 10 minutes of the contest. Brandeis jumped out to a 10-4 lead after 2:26, thanks to seven points from rookie Youri Dascy (Fall River, Mass./St. Andrews (R.I.) School). Rochester answered with a 9-2 run of their own, going ahead, 11-10, on a John DiBartolomeo (Westport, Conn./Staples) 3-pointer.

After a deep Derek Retos (No. Attleboro, Mass./Brimmer and May School) trifecta at the 11:34 mark gave Brandeis a 17-14 edge, Rochester went on a decisive run. The 'Jackets scored 14 of the game's next 16 points over a four-minute span, half coming from junior guard Chris Dende (Clarks Summit, Pa./Scranton Prep).

UR's Dan Shapiro (Ridgewood, N.J./Ridgewood) long-distance bucket made it 28-19 at the 7:19 mark, but Brandeis answered with a 6-2 streak. Rookie Alex Stoyle (Goffstown, N.J/Tilton School) hit a jumper with just under four minutes left in the stanza, trimming the Judges deficit to 30-25. Rochester closed the half with the last nine points, however, taking advantage of four Brandeis turnovers to take a 39-25 edge into the locker room.

DiBartolomeo had five points late in the half, as he and junior Nate Novosel (Lexington, Ky./Lexington Catholic) each had 10 points at the break, while Dende had nine off the bench. Dascy led the Judges with nine points in just six minutes after picking up two quick fouls. The Yellowjackets were able to take advantage of 11 Brandeis miscues in the first to the tune of a 15-3 edge in points off turnovers. They also outshot the Judges 46% (12-26) to 33% (9-27).

Rochester opened the second half by hitting six of their first nine shots, going up by 21 points, 53-32, on a bucket by David Gould (Philadelphia, Pa./Germantown Friends) at the 13:24 mark. Despite shooting much better in the second half at 59% (13-22), the Judges couldn't get any closer than 14 points the rest of the way as UR shot 64% (14-22).

Brandeis was paced by Retos, who scored 10 of his team-high 15 points in the second half. He connected on 5-of-9 overall, 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Dascy finished with 14 points, hitting 4-of-8 from the field and 6-of-10 from the line. He also had a game-high six rebounds, helping the Judges to a 30-24 edge on the glass. Junior guard Tyrone Hughes (Dorchester, Mass./Taft School) led the Judges with three assists, while Dascy had two blocked shots.

Rochester had five different players score in double figures, four of whom had at least 14 points. Novosel scored a game-high 16 points, going 7-of-9 from the field and 2-of-5 from the line. Dende added 15 off the bench, while DiBartolomeo just missed a double-double with 14 points and game-high nine assists. Rookie Nate Vernon (Chapel Hill, N.C./Suffield Acad.) added 14 points and a team-high five rebounds. Senior Mike Labanowski (Rochester, N.Y./McQuaid) had 10 points and three steals, tied with DiBartolomeo for game-high honors. The Yellowjackets shot 54.2 percent from the field (26-48), the season-high for a Brandeis opponent. They also converted 19 Brandeis turnovers into 25 points, while the Judges had just nine points off 11 UR miscues.

These teams will meet again next Sunday afternoon at noon in Rochester after the Judges travel to Emory on Friday night for an 8 p.m. tip and the Yellowjackets host NYU at the same time.