This week, the Judges improved to 5-2 on the season with a three game winning streak. The men defended their home court against Rhode Island College (RIC), after coming off of a tough loss against Suffolk University just a few days earlier. The Judges continued to find success, even on the road, as they handed the University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth (UMD) a loss right before the Thanksgiving holiday. The men rallied together after trailing by seven in the final two minutes of regulation to defeat Lasell College in overtime on the road.
The Judges faced RIC on Saturday, Nov. 23 for the first time since 2016. Midway through the first half, the men went on an eight-point run, turning a 17-16 deficit into a 24-17 lead that they maintained until the final horn. Although RIC came within six points towards the end of the first half, the Judges closed the half on an 11-3 run to take a 45-31 lead into the locker room. Senior leaders, Collin Sawyer ’20 and Eric D’Aguanno ’20, combined for 18 points in the first half and three three-pointers; Nolan Hagerty ’22 added eight points and seven rebounds in the action.
The Judges came out strong to start the second half, D’Aguanno two made three-pointers in back-to-back possessions to increase the lead to 21. Sawyer hit one of two from the line to make it a 22 point game—RIC chipped away at the lead, cutting the deficit to 10 points with a little more than two minutes left to play. With 1:52 remaining, RIC decreased the Judges’ lead even further, making it a nine point game. Brandeis, though, was able to maintain the lead, while handing RIC its first loss of the season—81-75. Four players finished in double figures for the Judges, and for the fourth game out of five this season, Sawyer led his team in scoring with 17 points. D’Aguanno finished with 16 points, while also hitting his 203rd career three-pointer, securing third place on Brandeis’ all-time three-pointer list.
Just a few days later, the Brandeis men’s team traveled to Dartmouth, MA where they went on an 11-2 run at the end of the first half to turn a five point deficit into a four point lead. Junior guard, Lawrence Sabir ’21, turned the game around with a key three-pointer, cutting the Corsairs lead to two points, while classmate, Chandler Jones ’21, joined in on the action, scoring the team’s final eight points of the half. Jones and D’Aguanno had eight points each, while Sawyer had nine going into the locker room at the half.
UMD came out strong, scoring 10 of the first 12 points of the second half, regaining the lead. The Corsairs failed to convert opportunities into advantage points, though, and rookie Dylan Lein ’23 and D’Aguanno capitalized, scoring buckets to tie the game up at 43 with 14:06 left to play. Tied at 48 midway through the second half, Brandeis went on a 6-1 run and never trailed again.
Darret Justice ’23 finished a layup, increasing the lead to six points with seven minutes to go in the game. D’Aguanno then hit a dagger three-pointer that pushed the lead back to seven, after UMD had hit a bucket, cutting the lead to four.
The Judges defeated UMD on the road 78-65; Sawyer scored 12 of his game-high 21 points in the second half, leading his team in scoring for the fifth time this season out of six games. Jones finished the game with 15 points to accompany his six rebounds, while D’Aguanno scored 13; Sabir racked up three assists and Hagerty tied for game-high honors with nine rebounds.
In Newton, MA, Brandeis rallied together after trailing by seven with two minutes to play in regulation to conquer host Lasell College Lasers in overtime (OT). The Judges led 12-7 after five minutes in the first half; Sabir finished a layup to secure the lead. However, Lasell responded with a series of baskets, totaling 13 points, which gained them a 20-12 lead with 11 minutes left until the half. The hosts led by as many as nine, but Lein’s 3-pointer brought the Judges within striking distance, and Sawyer’s trifecta tied the game up, 35-all with 1:29 left in the half. Each team scored once more in the half, re-tying the score: 37-all.
The Judges struggled coming out of the locker room, as the Lasers re-established an eight point lead. Jones answered with the game’s next two buckets and Sabir scored, decreasing the deficit to two, just 1:44 later. The Judges, though, were unable to gain the lead, as the Lasers increased the lead to nine. Trifectas from D’Aguanno and Jones brought the game within five with 3:40 left in regulation; but, Lasell answered with a bucket, making it a seven point game with a little under two minutes to go in the game.
Rookie Lein came in clutch, hit two key buckets, cutting Lasell’s lead in half; junior Sabir had a big play, too, as he tied up a loose ball coming out of a timeout, winning the Judges an extra possession. With 19 seconds to go, the team’s leading scorer, Sawyer, drove to the basket, finishing the three-point play to tie up the game: 73-all.
Forcing overtime, Hagerty hit a layup to give Brandeis their first lead since early in the first half of regulation. After Lasell bucket, Sawyer sunk a 3-pointer three minutes to go, but Lasell remainined tough, maintaining their two point lead, 80-78, with 2:35 left in OT. Jones hit a pair of free throws to tie the game up at 80, and then Brandeis grabbed two offensive boards, but turned it over with 1:06 to play. On the offensive end, Lasell was unable to score and Hagerty converted a rebound into two points with 29 seconds to go.
The Lasers took a time out ten seconds later and Laser Masciarelli hit one of two from the line with 11.8 seconds to go. Sawyer grabbed the board and was fouled immediately. He hit both shots, icing the game with 11.1 seconds remaining. The Lasers were off the mark with their three-point attempt, and the Judges pulled away with their third straight win, 84-81 in OT.
Again, the Judges finished with four players in double figures.
Jones led the team with 22 points, just shy of his season-best, accompanying his seven rebounds and three steals. Sawyer and D’Aguanno both had 17; D’Aguanno went 4-6 from behind the arc—he now has 209 career threes, tying Steve Harrignton ’92 on the Brandeis all-time list. Hagerty posted three career-highs, too, as he registered his first career double-double with 10 points and 15 boards; he also had a career-best with six assists, trailing Sabir’s seven for team-high. Additionally, Hagerty played 40 minutes.
The Judges return to action this weekend, looking to extend their winning streak to four in a row, when they take on Tufts University as part of the New England Big Four Challenge Saturday at Salem State for a noon tipoff.
