The men’s basketball team notched its first two victories of the season last week, taking the consolation game of the New England Big 4 Challenge on Sunday afternoon and defeating Framingham State University last Thursday. The Judges sit at 2-5 overall with the pair of wins.

The squad faced Tufts University in the consolation game of the Big 4 Challenge, using a double-double from center John Powell ’17 to edge its way past the Jumbos. Powell netted 16 points and 10 rebounds, including seven on the offensive glass, and added a pair of assists and a steal for the game. 

Neither squad was able to do much from the field as the Judges shot just 30.9 percent while Tufts recorded a 28.8 shooting percentage on field goals. 

Brandeis took a lead that they would not relinquish with just over two and a half minutes remaining when guard Robinsion Vilmont ’17 knocked down a pair of free throws. 

Tufts had a last second chance to win the game with a deep three-pointer, but the off-balance shot rattled out as time expired.

The Judges converted 16 points off of 19 Tufts turnovers and put back five second-chance points, allowing the team to push its lead as far as 10 points following a three pointer from guard Colby Smith ’16 at 15:13 of the second half.

The game featured seven ties and five lead changes, in part due to the productivity of both benches.

Each team got 18 points from bench players, including 14 from guard Nate Meehan ’18.

Meehan was just one of two Brandeis players to score in double figures but one of eight to put a point on the board.

The Judges pulled down 31 rebounds and 12 on the offensive glass, including seven from Powell.

On Saturday, Brandeis faced Salem State University in the first round of the Big 4 Challenge. Salem St. managed to get themselves up to a 10-point lead three minutes before halftime with a score of 36 - 26. However, the Judges closed the gap to 38-35, entering the halftime break at only a three-point deficit. 

When the second half started, Salem St. came out firing, creating their biggest lead of the contest with a score of 54- 41 with 14:50 left to play. 

Brandeis relied on free throws throughou the game, with forward KJ Baptiste ’18 netting one of two free throws to cut the deficit to 64-59 with only five and a half minutes remaining in the game. 

The Vikings went on a run from there, scoring the last seven points and putting the game out of reach. Salem State shot 55.6 percent throughout the game and an impressive 59.1 percent accuracy from behind the three-point line. The Judges shot 47.1 percent, led by Vilmont’s season-high 15 points.

The Judges got 34 points from the reserves and put three players in double figures but could not contend with the 55.6 shooting percentage of Salem State.

Brandeis shot just three for 12 from beyond the arc, resulting in a paltry 25 percent three-point field goal percentage.

 Last Thursday, Brandeis got its first win of the season over Framingham State. 

The teams played out a very competitive first half, never having a lead of more than five points. 

The Judges entered the half with a 25-23 lead following a Vilmont three-pointer. 

In the second half, there seemed to be no budging on either side until the halfway point, when the Judges extended their lead to 44-35 and never looked back. 

With seven minutes left, Brandeis managed to put 16 points between them and the visitors, leaving their opponents with no real hope. 

Brandeis held on to win the match 63-51, putting three players in double figures.

Powell netted 13 points, Vilmont scored 12 points, and guard Tim Reale ’17 had 10 points. 

Brandeis, very impressively, also converted the 20 FSU turnovers into 20 points.

The Judges squared off against Becker College last Tuesday and came out flying in the first half, jumping out to a 19-11 in the first 10 minutes of the game. 

The Hawks responded in kind with a 6-0 run, cutting the Brandeis lead to two. The two teams stayed extremely close in the second half, eventually tying at 49-49 with five minutes left on the clock. 

However, four points in the last minute ensured that Becker would come out with the win and the Judges would have to keep searching for their elusive first win. Jordan Cooper ’18 got himself into double digits with 11 points, leading the way for the Judges.

 The Judges will travel to No. 2 Amherst College tonight in their final game of the calendar year before resuming at Roger Williams University on Jan. 2.

The team could not be reached for comment as of press time.