WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University men's basketball team held visiting Washington University to their second-lowest scoring output of the season, but the Judges struggled offensively themselves down the stretch, hitting just two field goals in the final nine minutes as the 16^th-ranked Bears escaped Red Auerbach Arena with a 56-52 University Athletic Association win tonight.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 11-10, 3-7 UAA.
• Washington U., 17-4, 8-2 UAA, ranked #16 in Division III.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first half was a close affair that featured four ties and five lead changes. The largest lead of the stanza was six points when Brandeis junior Sam Adusei (Worcester, Mass./St. George's School) hit a 3-pointer with two minutes to go that put the Judges ahead, 27-21.
• After a pair of stops, WashU's Hayden Doyle went coast-to-coast for a lay-up to give the Judges a 27-23 halftime lead. Adusei led all players with 12 points in the stanza, going 3-for-3 from 3-point range and from the line, including a four-point play.
• Brandeis started the second half strong on an 8-2 run over the first 4:20, taking a 35-25 lead on a jumper by first-year forward Quron Zene (Windsor, Conn./IMG Academy).
• The Judges were still ahead by eight after a Toby Harris (Durham, Conn./Durham Academy) jumper with 9:25 on the clock
• WashU scored seven points over the next 90 seconds, cutting the Brandeis lead to 41-40 on a trifecta by Will Grudzinski with eight minutes to go.
• Doyle's jumper with 6:56 remaining gave the visitors their first lead of the second half, but Zene answered with 5:49 to go to put Brandeis back up by one, 43-42.
• WashU's Charlie Jacob answered with a 3-pointer on the next possession, sparking a 7-0 Bear run that put them ahead, 49-43 with 2:26 remaining.
• Brandeis senior Dylan Lien (Northborough, Mass./Worcester Academy) answered with a trifecta that cut the deficit in half, but that was the Judges' last field goal, one of only two for them over the final eight minutes.
• The Judges made it interesting by hitting their free throws, including three in one trip by Harris, but Grudzinski hit a back-breaking 3-pointer from straight away with 37.8 seconds left that made it a four-point game.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Judges had three starters score in double figures, with Adusei finishing with 12 points, Harris and Zene with 11 each.
• Adusei also led Brandeis with eight rebounds, while Harris had seven. Senior Darret Justice (Haymarket, Va./Highland School) topped the team with three assists.
• WashU had four players score in double figures, with Jacob posting 12 points thanks to 7-of-8 from the line.
• Grudzinski had 11 points off the bench, including three of the team's five 3-pointers. Doyle added 11 points, three assists and three steals.
• Drake Kindsvater had 10 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. He had 10 of the team's 20 boards in the second half, as the Bears outrebounded the Judges 20-15 in the stanza and 39-26 for the game.
• Brandeis held WashU to just 33.9% from the field (21-62), but the Judges connected on only 32.7% of their own shots (17-52).
• The Judges also lost the turnover battle, 14-7, although WashU only had a 4-2 edge in points off those turnovers. The Bears also had 24-14 advantage in points in the paint.

UP NEXT

• The Judges will celebrate their Senior Day on Sunday at 12 p.m. against the University of Chicago. WashU will be at NYU at the same time.