FITCHBURG, Mass. – The Brandeis men's basketball team suffered a 79-70 defeat at the hands of Fitchburg State University this afternoon in their final contest of 2016. The Judges fell victim to a 26-point performance by Falcon Jaleel Bell. Brandeis drops to 3-5 on the season, while FSU improves to 4-4.

FOR THE JUDGES

• Brandeis was paced by junior Nate Meehan (Lowell, Mass./Phillips Andover), who scored 13 points, nine coming in the first half, all on 3-pointers.
• Classmate Jordan Cooper (Weston, Fla./Sagemont School) added 10 points and six rebounds.
• Three other Judges finished with nine points, including senior guard Robinson Vilmont (Cambridge, Mass./Wilbraham and Monson Acad.), who also tied for game-high eight assists and matched Cooper with six boards.

FOR THE FALCONS

• Bell scored 19 of his game-high 26 points in the second half. He also had nine rebounds, matched Vilmont with eight assists and led all players with four steals.
• Bell had nine of his points in a key 15-0 run that turned a 41-40 FSU lead into a 56-40 advantage in a span of 4:13.
• Three other Fitchburg State players scored in double digits, including 14 from Lance Hill and a 10-point, 10 rebound performance off the bench from Joshua Bosworth.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• FSU outshot Brandeis, 60.4% (32-53) to 36.5% (19-52), including 53.8% (7-13) to 33.3% (9-27) from 3-point range.
• The Judges stayed within range thanks to a 23-8 scoring edge from the free throw line. That included four in a row from Meehan after a double-technical in the second half.
• The Falcons also outrebounded the Judges, 34-24, and had a 50-20 edge in points in the paint.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis hosts Bates College to open the New Year on Tuesday, January 3, at 4 p.m.
• FSU is at Keene State at 6 p.m. the same day.