LEICESTER, Mass. (courtesy Becker sports information) – The Brandeis University men's basketball team lost another close contest today, as the Judges dropped a 53-51 decision at Becker College tonight at the Leicester Gymnasium. The win lifts the Hawks record to 3-2, while the Judges remaining winless at 0-4. Brandeis's four defeats this season have been by a total of 14 points, including two decided on the game's final basket.
Brandeis led by as much as eight in the first half after shooting 75 percent from beyond the arc. With 10:29 remaining in the first half, rookie guard Nate Meehan (Lowell, Mass./Phillips Andover) capitalized on a Rashuan Liggon (Elizabeth, N.J.) turnover, taking it the other way for a layup to give the Judges 19-11 lead.
The Hawks responded with a 6-0 run, which was capped off by a Jessy Michaud (Fort Lauderdale, Fla.) layup, cutting the Brandeis advantage to 19-17. After Brandeis got a 3-pointer by Robinson Vilmont (Cambridge, Mass./Wilbraham and Monson) and a jumper by KJ Baptiste (Onset, Mass./Brimmer and May School), the Hawks once again answered the call with a Jessy Michaud three and crowd pleasing dunk by Scott Dulaire (Bloomfield, Conn.). With the Hawks trailing by three with five seconds remaining in half, Jessy Michaud nailed a jumper to make the score 30-29 in favor of Brandeis at the break.
The second half started out as a defensive battle, with the two teams exchanging one basket each for the first 6:51. The Judges were able to get a six-point lead on three different occasions in the half, with the last one coming with 6:24 remaining in regulation. With the Judges leading 49-43, Becker's Kyle Credle (Queens, N.Y.) found Scott Dulaire for another dunk. The Hawks would tie the game on back to back layups by Jessy Michaud and Rashuan Liggon, evening the score at 49-49 with 4:52 left on the clock.
Brandeis regained the lead when Carlin Haymon (Boston, Mass./Rivers School) stole the ball from Donovin Ford-Hayes (Windsor Locks, Conn.), taking it down the court for an easy layup. The score remain 51-49 with 1:05 on the clock when Jessy Michaud made a tremendous pass to David Maturah (Windsor Locks, Conn.) for the game tying layup.
After a flagrant foul on Brandeis gave the Hawks a chance to take the lead with 23 seconds remaining, Scott Dulaire missed both shots from the charity strip to keep the score deadlocked at 51-51. By rule the Hawks kept possession of the ball even after the missed free throws. As time continued to dwindle off the clock Jessy Michaud took the ball to the hole with two and a half seconds remaining for a clutch layup.
The Judges had a chance to win the game when Jordan Cooper (Weston, Fla./Sagemont School) took a three at the buzzer, but the shot fell shot as Becker held on for the dramatic 53-51 victory.
Becker had four players in double figures, including Jessy Michaud who tallied a game high 13 points and five assists. David Maturah went six for six from the free throw line, while chipping in with 12 points and five rebounds. Kyle Credle finished with ten points, while Scott Dulaire came off the bench to score 11 points and a team best seven rebounds.
Jordan Cooper was the lone Judge in double figures after scoring 11 points. Nate Meehan chipped in with nine points off the bench, while Colby Smith (North Andover, Mass./No. Andover) pulled down a game high eight boards.
Both teams get back on the court on Thursday, December 4 with Brandeis returning home to host Framingham State at 7:00 p.m., while Becker welcomes cross-town rival Clark University at 8:00 p.m.