WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis University sophomore Ishmael Kalilou (Windsor, Conn./Taft School) was one of four Judges to score in double figures tonight with a career-high 16 points off the bench as the Judges defeated Carnegie Mellon University, 69-62, in a University Athletic Association (UAA) men's basketball contest in Red Auerbach Arena.
With the win, Brandeis improves to 11-2, 2-0 in the UAA, while the Tartans fall to 3-10, 0-2 UAA.
Kalilou hit 4-of-8 from the field and 8-of-9 from the line, scoring his career-high in just 14 minutes of action off the bench. He tallied eight points in each half to surpass his previous collegiate best by five points. Kalilou's 16 points outpaced the entire Carnegie Mellon bench, which had 14.
Joining Kalilou in double figures was junior guard Gabriel Moton (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Petersburg), who came in just under his season average with 15 points. Moton hit 4-of-10 overall, 2-of-4 from 3-point range and 5-of-6 from the charity stripe. Classmates Ben Bartoldus (Hillsborough, N.H./Proctor Acad.) and Alex Stoyle (Goffstown, N.H./Tilton School) each recorded 10 points, as the Judges improved to 4-0 this season when four different players scored in double figures.
Stoyle just missed his first collegiate double-double with a game-high nine rebounds, one shy of his career-best. Junior Connor Arnold (Andover, Mass./Deerfield Acad.) matched his personal high with eight rebounds, four coming on the offensive glass. Rookie guard Colby Smith (No. Andover, Mass./No. Andover) tied for game-high honors with four assists. The Judges outrebounded CMU by a 43-28 margin, including 22-10 in the second half. They also outscored the visitors 25-10 from the free throw line, hitting 25-of-32 (78.1%).
CMU had the game's two high scorers, as junior forward Rob Mohen (Stamford, Conn./Regis School, N.Y.) and senior guard Andre Moore (Bowie, Md./Archbishop Spalding) each had 18 points. Mohen played all 40 minutes, scoring 13 of his 18 in the first half, while all of Moore's points came in the second stanza. Junior Asad Meghani (Carrolltin, Texas/Greenhill School) had 11 points in reserve for CMU.
Mohen led the Tartans with seven rebounds, but no other Carnegie Mellon player had more than four. Junior guard Rashaun Riley (Houston, Texas/Cypress Creek) had four assists, while Moore led all players with three steals.
In a first half that saw three ties and six lead changes, Brandeis closed on an 11-5 run over the final eight-and-a-half minutes. Stoyle gave the Judges the lead for good at 20-19 on a lay-up with 6:51 left in the half. Senior Anthony Trapasso (Sterling, Mass./St. Johns Prep) followed with a 3-pointer that made it a four-point game, and the Tartans were never able to recover. The Judges took a 29-24 lead into the locker room after another late Stoyle bucket.
Brandeis looked to put the game away by opening the second half on a 9-3 run over the first four minutes. The Judges took advantage of a CMU technical foul to push the lead to 11 after Moton sunk the two foul shots and Bartoldus scored on a feed from Smith that made it 38-27.
The Tartans didn't fold entirely, however, scoring the next eight points on a Meghani trifecta, and five-straight points by Moore, including a traditional three-point play. His lay-in at the 13:53 mark cut the visitors' deficit to three at 38-35, but Smith answered with a slashing bucket of his own.
CMU was still within four at 41-37 midway through the second when Brandeis went on another run to help put the game out of reach. Stoyle sparked the run with a 3-pointer before Kalilou scored all eight of his second-half points in a two-minute stretch, converting 6-of-7 from the line, including a traditional three-point play at 7:16 that made it a 13-point game at 52-39. Carnegie Mellon was able to extend the game with trifectas, and-one plays and missed Brandeis foul shots, but the Tartans would get no closer than two possessions the rest of the way in the 69-62 contest.
Both teams return to UAA action on Sunday afternoon at noon, with Brandeis taking on Case Western Reserve at home and Carnegie Mellon heading to NYU.
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