The Brandeis Men’s basketball team took the court for the first time since Dec. 11 to compete in their first two University Athletic Association (UAA) conference games of the season. The Judges, though, clinched their first win of the New Year, while also extending their winning streak to five games, against the University of Chicago. In the 62-47 defeat, graduate student Tommy Eastman (GRAD) led the way with a game-high 20 points, in addition to scoring his 1,000th career point.
Eastman became the third Judge on the men’s squad to celebrate his 1,000th career point this season; it came on a 3-pointer with 16:39 remaining in the game. Eastman shot 9-for-13 from the field, 1-for-2 from downtown and 1-for-2 from the free-throw line; furthermore, Eastman secured six boards against the Maroons. First year starter Toby Harris ’25 found his rhythm offensively, shooting 5-for-10 from the field, contributing 11 to the Judges win on the road. Veteran Chandler Jones ’22 aided in the Judges win, too, filling the stats sheet with nine points, four assists and seven rebounds off the bench; the Judge’s bench, led by Jones, outscored the Maroons 16-7.
While the first half featured four ties and five lead changes, the Judges gained momentum, closing out the first half on a 14-6 run to take the lead. The momentum continued for the Judges when they returned from the locker room. Jones, Eastman and Harris ignited a 12-4 run within the first four minutes of the second half that secured the win – the Maroons were unable to recover.
While the Judges found victory against UChicago, the Brandeis men’s squad was unable to contain WashU, falling to the Bears 67-53 in St. Louis. With the loss, the Judges fall to 8-3 overall, 1-1 in the UAA.
Brandeis buckled down defensively, holding the Bears to just under 70 points for only the third time this season; offensively, though, the Judges had their lowest scoring output of the season. WashU outshot the Judges, 43 percent off 23-for-53, while the Judges shot just 33 percent from the field.
Collin Sawyer (GRAD), led his team with 17 points, while Eastman contributed eight points to the Judges total. Sawyer and Eastman were the only two Judges with more than two field goals in the game. Sam Nassar ’22 and Darret Justice ’23 tied for the team-high five rebounds each, while Nassar also led the team with three assists.
The Judges played the entire game from behind, as the Bears converted from downtown on their first three possessions. Quickly, the Judges found themselves down 11-3 early in the first half. Sawyer, though, scored 12 of his 17 in the first half. However, after Sawyer’s 3-pointer that brought his squad within two to start the second half, 35-33, the Judges remained behind for the duration of the game. With 9:29 remaining, the Bears pushed their lead to 14 on a 14-2 run, and despite the Judges’s efforts, Coach Jean Bain’s team was unable to secure the win against the fourth ranked Washington University Bears.
Brandeis men take the road with the women to continue their four-game UAA road trip on Friday, Jan. 28. The men play at 5:30 p.m. at Emory University and the women follow suit at 7:30 p.m.
