BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Brandeis University men's basketball team used a balanced attack tonight to cool off University Athletic Association rivals NYU, 76-72. With the win, the Judges improve to 14-9 overall, 5-7 in the UAA. The Violets see a five-game winning streak snapped and fall to 14-10, 4-9 UAA.
The Judges saw four different players score in double figures tonight. Senior Nolan Hagerty (Yarmouth, Maine/Yarmouth) led the way with 21 points and 12 rebounds, recording his fourth double-double of the season and his second in the last three games. Hagerty hit 7-of-9 from the field and from the line. Five of his rebounds came on the offensive glass. Senior Austin Clamage (Lake Forest, Ill./Lake Forest Academy) finished with a season-high 13 points, four shy of his career-high. Clamage was 3-of-4 from the field, 2-of-3 from beyond the arc and 5-of-6 from the line. Graduate student Collin Sawyer (New London, Conn./New London) added 12 points and first-year forward Toby Harris (Durham, N.C./Durham Academy) added 11 with three 3-pointers. Hagerty, Sawyer and senior Sam Nassar (Milford, Conn./Jonathan Law) each had three assists as the Judges totaled 14 helpers on their 21 baskets.
The Brandeis win overshadowed a monster performance from NYU senior Bobby Hawkinson. Entering the game 40 points shy of 1,000 for his career, Hawkinson finished with 36 to account for half of the Violets scoring. He his 10-of-17 from the field and 16-of-21 from the line. He also led the hosts with 17 rebounds, seven on the offensive glass. No other NYU scored more than eight points – Nikola Lipovic and Zay Freeney each reached the mark – or had more than two rebounds. Freeney also led the Violets with three assists.
The Judges outshot NYU, 50 percent (21-42) to 41 percent (23-56), including 44 percent (8-18) to 26 percent (6-23) from 3-point range. Brandeis also won the battle of the boards, 35-30.
Brandeis never trailed in the first half, taking an early 10-6 lead on a Hagerty three-point play. NYU tied the game at 12-all on a Nick Macarchuk 3-pointer at the 10:19 mark. Brandeis responded with a 13-4 run to take a 25-16 lead on a Clamage lay-up. The Judges were still up by seven on a Hagerty dunk that made it 27-20 with 4:15 to go before Hawkinson scored eight of the last 10 points of the stanza to cut the Brandeis lead to 29-28.
NYU tied the game with a Hawkinson free throw to open the second, and they took their first lead with a Lipovic 3-pointer with 17:22 on the clock that made it 32-31 in their favor. Brandeis bounced right back, with Sawyer scoring the game's next five points on a mid-range jumper and three free throws after getting fouled beyond the arc. Hawkinson made one foul shot, but Harris answered from long range to push the Brandeis lead back to six at 39-33 with 15:20 to go.
The Judges were able to keep it a two-possession game for the rest of the contest, expanding the lead to as large as 11 points when Hagerty scored a put-back bucket and a pair of free throws that made it 59-48 with 6:33 remaining. Hawkinson scored the game's next six points to get NYU back within five, but a Hagerty free throw and a Sawyer trifecta pushed the Brandeis advantage back to nine with 2:52, and the Judges hit enough from the foul line the rest of the way to secure the victory.
Brandeis and NYU will meet in the regular season finale on Sunday afternoon at 1 p.m. in a game rescheduled from January.