WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis University sophomore center John Powell of Ashland, Mass., has been selected as the University Athletic Association (UAA) Men's Basketball Co-Player of the Week for Dec. 15. He shared the honor with Washington University's David Fatoki.

      Powell helped the Judges to a 78-58 upset of then-second-ranked Amherst College on Dec. 9. He finished with 17 points, a new career-high, on 7-of-14 shooting from the floor and 3-of-5 from the line. Ten of his 17 points came in the second half, as the Judges outscored the Lord Jeffs, 38-24. The win was Brandeis's first over Amherst on the road since 2009 and marked the second-largest margin of victory by the Judges in a series that dates back to 1964.

      This season, Powell is one of six Judges averaging 8.6 points per game, one of six Brandeis players between seven and 10 points per game. He ranks fourth on the team in scoring and second in rebounding, pulling down 4.2 boards per game. Powell has scored in double figures in his last four contests, averaging 14.3 points per game in that span. He recorded his first collegiate double-double with a 16-point, 10-rebound performance in Brandeis's previous contest, a 52-50 win over Tufts University on Dec. 7 in the consolation game of the New England Big Four Challenge at Babson College. Powell earned All-Tournament honors for his career.

      Brandeis is 3-5 on the season, having won three of their last four contests, including the upset of Amherst. The Judges are off until January 2, 2015, when they travel to Roger Williams University.

Powell is a 2013 graduate of Brimmer and May School in Chestnut Hill, Mass. He transferred to Brandeis from Division II Bloomfield College.

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