The Brandeis men’s basketball team began the 2021-2022 season with a lopsided win against Rivier University. This first game of the season took place on Nov. 11 with Brandeis as the home team.
The first points of the season came from senior forward Noah Hagerty ’22. Hagerty scored a layup after a minute and a half had passed into the game. He would also score the next two points on another layup. The first points of the season that did not come from Hagerty were from a layup by forward Tommy Eastman (GRAD). These points came off an assist from senior forward Chandler Jones ’22. The Judges held Rivier scoreless for almost five minutes before a player from Rivier made a layup. Brandeis continued to play solid defense as they built a 19-9 lead. Throughout the rest of the half, the Judges built on their lead as they led 47-30 at half time. At halftime, Eastman led the game in scoring with 15. He was 6/10 from the field and ½ from three. Hagerty was right behind him with 12 points but was the team leader in rebounds with five. Eastman and guard Terrence Brown ’23 was tied for the most assists with three. Overall, the team shot very well in the first half with a 52.5 percent field goal percentage.
Brandeis’ first points of the second half came from a three pointer by Jones on an assist by Hagerty. The second half saw the Judges continue to play good defense, while shooting the ball very well. They built a lead that reached thirty points with less than 10 minutes before the end of the game. As the game progressed, Brandeis did not let up as they pushed forward to the end of the game. Their biggest lead was 32 points after a three pointer by Brown with five minutes left in the game. Ultimately, the Judges won the game 97-71.
Haggerty led the team in scoring with 22 points in the first game of the season. He finished the game with seven total rebounds, while missing only two of his 12 shots in the game. Eastman had an all-around solid game with 15 points, six assists and five rebounds. Brown had five rebounds and four assists along with 12 points. Forward Toby Harris ’25 played in his first game for Brandeis. He came off the bench and scored 13 points in just 19 minutes. Harris shot very well as he was ⅚ from the field and ¾ from three. He also had two assists and two rebounds. The team as a whole shot 52.7 percent from the field and 30 percent from three, while holding Rivier to just 36.8 percent from the field. Although the Judges had 11 turnovers in the game, they also had 10 steals and four blocks. The Judges will hope to use this momentum as they move on to face Emerson University on Nov. 18 away. They will play one more game at home before the Thanksgiving break on Nov. 23 against UMass Dartmouth.
