The Judges had an exciting opening weekend in Red Auerbach Arena, picking up two University Athletic Association (UAA) wins. Improving to 3-0 in conference play, and 11-3 on the season, the Judges received recognition for their hustle and heart this past weekend.
On Friday Jan. 17, the Judges faced the University of Rochester Yellowjackets. Leading the entire game, Brandeis gained the advantage early in the first half, hitting their first five three-point attempts, which were each scored by a different player, putting them up eight with eight minutes to go. Keeping their foot on the gas, the Judges entered the locker room at halftime with a 43-20 lead over the Yellowjackets. The men shot 55 percent overall in the first half and an impressive 67 percent from deep, compared to their opponents, who shot 32 percent overall and only 30 percent from the three-point range. Senior Collin Sawyer ’20 led all players with 15 first-half points, nine of which came from three-pointers; Nolan Hagerty ’22 contributed seven, including his backboard-rattling dunk which brought a gust of excitement midway through the half.
Coming out of the locker room, the Yellowjackets gained momentum, scoring the first six points of the second half. Hagerty, though, answered with three straight lay-ups. Ryan Algier’s six points were unfortunately not enough to keep Rochester afloat, as Sawyer hit a three and another jumper, sparking a 9-0 run for the Judges; rookie Matan Zucker ’23 finished a layup that gave the Judges their largest lead of the game: 28 points.
Led by Sawyer’s game-high 24 points, 15 of which came in the first half, and Hagerty’s career-high 18 points to accompany his five assists—one shy of his career-best—the Judges were able to secure a 22-point victory over the Yellowjackets. Sophomore Sam Nassar ‘22 also finished with five assists, while Chandler Jones ’21 and D’Aguanno each chipped in four as the Judges concluded the game with 20 assists on 27 buckets. Jones contributed nine points and tied Zucker for game-high honors with seven rebounds. For the fifth time this season, the Brandeis men shot over 50 percent from the field, shooting 54 percent; the Judges were also successful from beyond the arc, as they shot 50 percent from the three-point range. Despite both sides committing 12 turnovers, the Judges had an 18-11 advantage in points off turnovers, while also out-rebounding Rochester 31-28.
On Sunday afternoon, the Judges not only competed with the number three team in Division III, but defeated Emory University Eagles in their first encounter of the season. In a game that consisted of 10 ties and 11 lead changes, the last possession was the defining moment for both squads. With 90 seconds to play in the game, Brandeis was up 73-67 after Hagerty hit the first of two free throws. Emory was able to gain momentum after converting a Brandeis turnover into a quick layup, and then knocked down four free throws, the last pair with 22.8 seconds left on the clock, tying up the game at 73-all.
Without a timeout to spare, floor general Darret Justice ’23 brought up the ball, dribbling until the clock read 10 seconds. Passing it off to Jones at the top of the key, he attacked the rim, but was denied by Eagle Matthew Schner. The ball was sent into the air, right into the hand of D’Aguanno who was pursuing the offensive rebound. Catching the ball in motion, he knocked down the shot with eight-tenths of a second left on the clock. The Eagles called a timeout, but were unable to successfully advance the ball the full length of the court, handing the Judges the upset.
The Eagles led by as many as five points towards the end of the first half, but the Judges answered with an 8-2 run to take the lead back; the Judges were then able to restrict the Eagles to a lead no larger than two possessions for the rest of the game. Hagerty’s nine first-half points and D’Aguanno’s eight allowed Brandeis to gain the 34-32 advantage heading into the locker room.
Over the first eight minutes of play, the Judges outscored Emory 20-13 to take their largest lead, 54-45, on a put-back from Hagerty with 12 minutes to play. Emory went on a 9-1 run of their own, getting within one with 9:31 minutes to go. Over the next seven minutes, there were three ties and four lead changes before the Judges scored six in a row, turning a tied game at 67-all into a 73-67 lead.
The Judges were led in this match-up by Hagerty, who scored a career-high 21 points and grabbed 14 rebounds, one shy of his career-best. He went 9-of-15 from the field and hit three from the line; Hagerty also tallied three assists and two blocked shots. Jones contributed 19 points on 6-of-15, 1-of-2 from three and 6-of-7 from the line; he scored 15 of his 19 points in the second half. Providing a spark from the bench, D’Aguanno added 12 points, including the game-winning shot, which appeared on ESPN’s Top 10 Plays of the Day.
The Judges’ 3-0 start in the UAA is their best since winning their first five games of the 2013 season. Not only did the Brandeis men’s team win one of their biggest games in recent history, but they also received honors from many national outlets. In addition to ESPN, the Judges made D3hoops.com’s national poll for the first time in seven years, ranking at No. 24, and head coach Jean Bain was selected as the Division III Coach of the week by Hoopdirt.com.
For the first time in his career, Hagerty was honored as the UAA Men’s Basketball Player of the Week, as he led the Judges to victory through his scoring, rebounding and passing efforts this weekend.
This weekend, the Judges travel to St. Louis to face 13-ranked Washington University in St. Louis on Friday evening; the Judges are looking to pick up another conference win against the Bears who are also 3-0 in the UAA.
