WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University men's basketball got a pair of 20-point performances, including a breakout 24-point game from first-year Ethan Edwards (Brooklyn, N.Y./Woodstock Acad.) as the Judges defeated Emerson College, 76-70, to extend their best start since 2010.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 6-0.
• Emerson, 2-4.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Judges never trailed in this one as they have in four of their first six contests.
• They opened the game on runs of 9-2 and 12-4 and never looked back.
• Brandeis held the visitors without a field goal over the final eight minutes of the stanza to outscore Emerson, 31-19, at the break.
• They held the Lions to 32% shooting (8-25), including 1-of-10 from 3-point range. The Judges also forced 10 EC turnovers while committing just three.
• Edwards scored 14 of his 24 in the first half on 6-of-7 from the field with a 3-pointer and a free throw.
• Brandeis still led by 12 at 41-29 with 14:41 to go when Emerson made a run. All-American big man Jarred Houston hit back-to-back lay-ups and Sean Coman hit a trifecta to cap a 7-0 Lions run that made it 41-36, Judges, with just under 13 minutes to play.
• The Judges answered with a lay-up by rookie Quron Zene (Windsor, Conn./IMG Academy), but another Coman deep ball got the visitors within four.
• Brandeis answered with a Ryan Power (Waltham, Mass./Waltham) bucket, and after Houston converted again, Edwards nailed a pull-up 3-pointer that put Brandeis back up by seven.
• EC's Nate Martin hit twice from the line, but a Toby Harris (Durham, N.C./Durham Academy) bucket and a three-point play by Zene on the fast break gave Brandeis the double-digit cushion at 53-43 with 9:39 left.
• Junior Darret Justice (Haymarket, Va./Highland School) and Harris dialed long distance on the next Brandeis trips to give the Judges some breathing room and they held off the Lions from there.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Edwards, who had reached double figures in scoring in each of his first five collegiate games, exceeded 20 points for the first time. He was 10-for-13 overall, 3-for-3 from beyond the arc and 1-of-2 from the line.
• Harris, who was not the team's leading scorer for the first time this season, still finished with 20 points, 15 coming in the second half.  He also grabbed eight rebounds,
• Senior Dylan Lien (Northborough, Mass./Worcester Academy) added 14 points off the bench, scoring seven in each half.
• Zene had a terrific all-around game with eight points and team-high 10 rebounds. He also had three assists, three steals and two blocked shots without committing a turnover.
• Emerson had three players score in double figures. Houston recorded a double-double with 23 points and game-high 11 rebounds. He also blocked three shots.
• Martin added 16 points and eight boards, while Coman scored 15 in 20 minutes off the bench, hitting 5-of-7 from 3-point range.
• Emerson shot a season-high for an opponent from the field against the Judges, 48.2% (27-56), thanks to a torrid second half (19-31, 61.3%).
• Brandeis offset the differential by winning the turnover battle, 14-6, and turning it into a 21-6 advantage in points off the miscues.
• The Judges also outscored Emerson from 3-point range, 8-5, and the free throw line, 16-11.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Brandeis continued its best start since 2010 at 6-0.
• The Judges are also on a 10-game winning streak dating back to last season.
• Both streaks are their longest since starting the 2010-11 season 11-0.
• Brandeis has trailed for only 13 seconds of regulation this season, at the start of last Tuesday's game at UMass Dartmouth.
• They also trailed in overtime for 3:07 of their 81-79 win over Emmanuel.

UP NEXT

• The Judges head to Waterville, Maine, for the inaugural UAA-NESCAC Challenge. They will meet Colby on Saturday, December 3, at 3 p.m., and Bates on Sunday, December 4, at 2 p.m.
• Emerson is at Plymouth State on Thursday night at 6 p.m.