WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University men's basketball team never trailed tonight as the Judges used a balanced attack to defeat visiting Connecticut College, 63-48, in a non-conference men's basketball game in Red Auerbach Arena. With the win, the Judges improve to 10-6 overall on the season, while the Camels fall to 8-10.
The Judges had four different players score in double figures on the night. Graduate student Collin Sawyer (New London, Conn./New London) led the way with a game-high 16 points on 6-of-15 shooting, including 4-of-11 from 3-point range. Sawyer finished the game with 1206 career points, tying him for 18th on Brandeis's career list with Tom Haggerty '69, while also tying with Steve Harrington '92 for third on the career 3-pointer list with 209. Sawyer also became just the 18th player in Brandeis history with 100 games played in his career.
Graduate student Tommy Eastman (Honeoye Falls, N.Y./Honeyoe Falls-Lima) added 15 points, nine rebounds and four assists, while senior forward Nolan Hagerty (Yarmouth, Maine/Yarmouth) pitched in with 12 points and six boards. First-year forward Toby Harris (Durham, N.C./Durham Academy) registered his first collegiate double-double with 12 points and a game- and career-high 10 rebounds. Senior Sam Nassar (Milford, Conn. / Jonathan Law) led the Judges with five assists.
Brandeis won the battle of the boards, 43-35, and even though both teams had 13 offensive rebounds, Brandeis converted theirs into 16 second-chance points, compared to just five for the Camels. The Judges also had the turnover edge, 13-10, and turned them into 14 points off turnovers, compared to just 10 for CC.
Connecticut College had just one player score in double digits, as forward Andrew Hartel had 12 points on 5-of-8 from the field and 2-of-3 from the line. Jarron Flynn added nine points and Cam Schainfeld and Billy Whelan each had eight. Hartel and Ben Rice led the visitors with six rebounds each, and no Camel player had more than one assist as the visitors managed just three helpers on 19 baskets.
The Judges never trailed in this one, as the game was tied twice early before a Hagerty dunk followed by a Sawyer 3-pointer made it 9-4 Brandeis with 3:30 elapsed. The Camels were within 11-8 when Brandeis scored 10 of the next 11 points to take a 21-9 lead on Harris's trifecta with 12:51 left in the first. After a long scoreless stretch, CC eventually dug down and climbed back within two at 23-21 on a traditional three-point play with David Murray 6:03 before the break. Brandeis went on to score the final six points of the stanza, closing on another Hagerty dunk to make it 29-21 at intermission.
Brandeis opened the second half on a 7-2 run to take a 36-23 lead on another Hagerty bucket, but CC wouldn't go away. The Camels got within two twice, on a Whelan trifecta and a Flynn lay-up, the latter of which made it 40-38, Brandeis, with 12:32 to go. Brandeis answered with 12 of the game's next 16 points, capped by a Sawyer 3-pointer that made it 52-42 with 7:26 remaining, and the Judges didn't let the Camels get closer than six points the rest of the way.
Brandeis returns to University Athletic Association play this weekend, traveling to Carnegie Mellon on Friday evening and #24 Case Western Reserve on Sunday afternoon.