BRANDEIS MEN FALL JUST SHORT IN 77-75 LOSS AT CARNEGIE MELLON

PITTSBURGH, Pa. (info taken from a Carnegie Mellon press release) – In a game that saw 11 ties and 18 lead changes, Brandeis senior Ben Bartoldus (Hillsborough, N.H./Proctor Acad.) saw a last-second tip-in hit off the iron today as the Judges dropped a heart-breaking 77-75 University Athletic Association (UAA) men's basketball decision at Carnegie Mellon University's Skibo Gymnasium. The loss drops the Judges to 9-9 overall and 1-6 in the UAA, while the Tartans improve to 10-8, 3-4 UAA.

The Tartans started the game with a 12-6 run led by nine points from rookie Jack Serbin and held the lead until Brandeis tied the game and went ahead, 17-16, on two free throws by rookie guard Tim Reale (Mason, Ohio/St. Andrew's, R.I.) with 11:15 showing on the first half clock.

For the remainder of the period, the teams exchanged hoops with neither leading by more than four points and entered the locker rooms in a 41-41 tie.

Serbin led the Tartans for the half with 17 points on 7-for-9 shooting while senior Rob Mohen scored 10 off the bench on 4-for-6 shooting. Brandeis junior Ishmael Kalilou (Windsor, Conn./Taft School) had 10 points off the bench for the Judges, hitting 5-of-7, while Bartoldus had nine on 4-of-5 with a 3-pointer.

After a Gabriel Moton (St. Petersburg, Fla./St. Petersburg) 3-pointer and two Alex Stoyle (Goffstown, N.H./Tilton Acad.) fouls shots had the Tartans down 53-50 just over five minutes into the second half, CMU senior Asad Meghani ran off seven straight points. . The team's leading scorer, senior Christian Manoli, scored his first basket of the game to put the home team up four, 59-55, with 11:31 to go in the game.

The Tartans held that lead until 8:36 when Bartoldus made two free throws to give Brandeis back the lead, 64-63.

The visitor's lead was short lived as Serbin went back to work and made three straight shots from the floor, including back-to-back treys, to give the Tartans a four-point advantage, 71-67, and a lead the team would hold and even stretch to five on a three-pointer by senior Rashaun Riley with 2:41 to go.

Brandeis pulled within one-point but a free throw by Mohen with 41 seconds to play gave the Tartans the two-point lead that would stand as Serbin blocked Moton's shot out of bounds with two seconds and a tip attempt by Bartoldus off the in-bounds was short.

Moton and Bartoldus each finished with 15 points for the Judges. Sophomore Colby Smith (No. Andover, Mass./No. Andover) added a career-high 11 points off the bench, his first-ever game with double digit scoring, while Kalilou finished with 10. Smith and senior Connor Arnold (No. Andover, Mass./Deerfield Acad.) tied for game-high honors with six rebounds as the Judges  outrebounded the Tartans, 39-31.

Serbin finished with a career-high 29 points and three blocks in his fourth start of the year while Mohen tallied 15 points and Riley 13. Manoli was held to single digits for the first time this year but made up for it with six assists and three blocks on the defense.

The teams will face off again next week in Waltham on Sunday at noon. The Judges will take on Case Western Reserve at home on Friday night at 8 p.m.