On Tuesday, Nov. 29, the Brandeis men’s basketball team defeated the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth at home 65-60, and the Brandeis women’s basketball team beat Salem State University 59-34 in an away game.
The men’s basketball team was dominant throughout the game. After tying the game at 2-2, the Judges never lost their lead. The Judges controlled the first half, hitting five three-pointers and outscoring UMass 12-0 on turnovers in the first 20 minutes. The Judges went into halftime boasting a 37-22 lead.
The Corsairs played a much more competitive second half, but did not do quite enough to win the game. After Robinson Vilmont ’17 shot three at 16:30, the Judges extended their lead to 44-26, their greatest lead of the game. With 18 minutes left in the game, the Judges still led by 19, but the Corsairs proceeded to go on a 12-4 run over the next seven minutes. The Corsairs’ cut the lead to eight, but two free throws from Jordan Cooper ’18 extended the lead back to 10 points with 5:24 remaining.
After another UMass bucket, both the Judges and Corsairs failed to score on their next several possessions. Then, a fast break layup and an “and-one” tip-in by UMD’s Nick Portelance shortened the lead to just 57-54 with 1:41 remaining. UMD had an opportunity to tie the game, but a jump-ball by Latye Workman ’18 gave the Judges possession. Jordan Cooper ’18 then found Workman for an open dunk to extend the lead to five with :57 left. Brandeis finished the game at the free throw line to solidify the victory.
Tim Reale ’17 and Cooper led the game for the Judges. Both had 12 points, with ten of Reale’s points coming in the first half, and eight of Cooper’s coming in the second. Workman had a career night, posting career highs in points, rebounds and steals with six, eight and three, respectively. Vilmont also had an all-around solid game, finishing with nine points, seven rebounds, and a season high six assists.
Ultimately, the Judges won the game at the free-throw line, where they outscored the Corsairs 18-8 despite taking just two more free throws. Brandeis shot 90 percent from the line while UMass shot just 44 percent.
After the win, Brandeis moves to 2-1, while the Corsairs fall to 2-2. The Judges will play next Friday, Dec. 2 at 7:30 p.m. against Tufts in the first round of the Big Four tournament.
The Brandeis women’s basketball team had a much easier time securing their victory on Tuesday. Brandeis dominated the entire game, notably outscoring Salem 33-10 in the middle two periods. In the first half, the Judges held the Vikings to just 13 percent shooting. Early in the fourth quarter, the Judges were leading by as many as 37 points.
The Judges were led by Sarah Jaromin ’19, who hit her first four threes and finished with 12 points off the bench. Hannah Nicholson ’20 also came off the bench to add 11 points.
The Judges were out-rebounding the Vikings all night, 58-37. Center Maria Jackson ’17 led the team in boards with 13. Kyla Gabriel ’17 and Sydney Sodine ’17 each pulled in an additional eight rebounds a piece. Gabriel also led the team with three assists, just two fewer than the entire Vikings roster. Noel Hodges ’18 and Eva Hart ’18 each also had three steals.
With the win, Brandeis moves to 4-2, while SSU falls to 3-3. The Judges play their next game on Saturday, Dec. 3 at home against Johnson & Wales University.
