The No. 7 ranked Washington University mens varsity basketball team looked to extend their 29 game winning streak against the Brandeis University Judges on Sunday, Feb. 4. The Judges had other plans in mind as they defeated the Bears in a triple overtime thriller, ending their losing streak.
Joe Coppens 08 had a career high with 24 points. Steve DeLuca 08 added 13 points and grabbed a team high nine rebounds while Florian Rexhepi 08 assisted the team with 13 points.
Bench play was essential for the Judges as they outscored the Bears bench 19-9;
they were led by Andre Roberson 10 who added 12 points.
This back-and-forth game saw 15 ties and 18 lead changes. Coppens went 8-8 from the free throw line and hit two crucial free throws as he put the Judges up by two with 19 seconds left on the clock, 56-54. The Bears answered with a bank shot from guard Sean Wallis 09 which left 3.8 seconds on the clock and eventually sent the game into its first overtime.
The Bears proved to be resilient again in the second overtime as they found themselves losing after a Roberson jump shot that put the Judges up 62-60 with 28 seconds left. The rookie Roberson was matched by rookie Cameron Smith 10 as he hit his field goal after coming off a screen to tie the game.
After two exciting offensive spurts to send the game into its first two overtimes, these two teams headed to their third five minute session after two solid defensive stops as the game remained tied at 67-67 for the final 53 seconds of the second overtime.
The Judges got off to a slow start as they found themselves looking behind 71-67 with 3:31 seconds remaining in this third OT. This time the Judges proved their resilience as they overcame their deficit and took the lead with a Roberson three-pointer to put them up 73-71. Nick Nikitas 07 of the Bears brought the game back to a tie at 73 all with 1:42 remaining.
Coppens then helped the Judges come out on top as he put up the final points of his career high with a traditional three point play to seal the victory and end the Judges long skid against the Bears for the win, 81-75.
The Judges came into this game coming off a loss on Feb. 2 to the No. 19 ranked University of Chicago Maroons.
The Judges were led by DeLuca with 19 points. This was also a particularly special night for DeLuca as he was recognized for scoring his 1000th career point before the game.
Coppens helped the Judges effort with 15 points while Roberson, Kenny Small 10, and Terrell Hollins10 all added nine points each.
Despite a solid performance, the Judges couldnt hold off the Maroons as they were led by two of their veteran seniors, Brandon Woodhead with 16 points and Jason Vismantas with 13 points and game high seven rebounds.
The game came down to free throws, which helped put the Maroons up 62-60 as they never looked back. They finished the effort hitting six of their final eight free throws.
Unfortunately, the Judges suffered a big blow as a broken foot against the Maroons ended the season for Hollins, the teams second leading rebounder and second-leading scorer. Stephen Hill 08 will be seeing extended time as a result while Rich Magee 10 will be expected to step up.
Though the Judges saw their 12- game winning streak at home come to an end, they proved that they would not let this defeat keep them down as they came out victorious as underdogs in their triple-overtime thriller against the Bears.
Brandeis takes on Carnegie-Mellon tonight at 8 p.m. and then returns to the hardwood on Sunday for a noon matinee against the University of Rochester. Both games are half of a double header with the womens team.
