Waltham, Mass- The Brandeis University men's basketball team never held a lead, falling to the University of Chicago Maroons, 62-52.
Jordan Cooper (Weston, Fla./ Sagemont School) led the Judges with a game-high 20 points on 9-of-19 shooting, and rookie guard Ian Roach (Brooklyn, N.Y./ Bedford Academy) poured in a career-high 15 off the bench. Roach shot 6-of-12 overall and 3-of-7 on three-pointers. Tim Reale (Mason, Ohio/ St. Andrew's) pulled down a team-high eight rebounds, and Reale and sophomore guard Carlin Haymon (Boston, Mass./ Rivers School) led Brandeis in assists with four apiece.
For the Maroons, Jordan Smith was the high scorer with 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting. Alex Voss added 11 points, and Collin Barthel finished with 10 points and a team-high nine boards. Barthel and Tyler Howard also dished out a team-high four assists each.
Chicago jumped out to an 18-4 lead in the first eight minutes of the game on consecutive three-pointers by Jake Fenlon. However, Brandeis answered with an 18-8 run, pulling within one point at 28-27 on a Roach trifecta. The Judges could not get any closer, and another Fenlon triple put the Maroons up, 39-30, to end the half.
Chicago was 8-of-15 on three pointers in the first half, led by Fenlon's 3-of-3 performance, and shot 53 percent overall from the floor. They also dominated on second chance points, 12-1.
In the second half, the Judges got their deficit within two points, 52-50, on a jumper by rookie Michael McReynolds (Plano, Texas/ Jesuit College Prep) with 8:32 remaining. However, they did not score again until a last-possession layup by Roach.
Chicago improves its record to 17-7 overall, 8-5 in the UAA. Brandeis slips to 9-15 overall, and just 3-10 UAA.
The Judges will play their final regular season home game this Saturday, Feb. 26, against NYU at Red Auerbach Arena. The women will tip off at 1 p.m., followed by the men at 3 p.m. The seniors on the Brandeis basketball teams will also be honored Saturday as part of Senior Day.
-by Emmett Greenberg '16