The men’s basketball team lost both of its University Athletic Association conference games at home this weekend. 

The squad lost to the University of Rochester 78-50 on Sunday afternoon and No.12 Emory University 65-51 on Friday night. The losses dropped the men to a 7-10 overall record and 2-5 in UAA play.

Rochester 78 Judges 50

During the loss to Rochester on Sunday the men trailed throughout the entirety of the game.

The first half was especially difficult for the Judges. Their offense was unable to get anything going, only scoring 15 points in the 20-minute half. 

The team’s defense was the real problem in the contest, with the Judges failing to close in on Rochester’s three-point opportunities.  The Yellowjackets shot an unbelievable 65.4 percent from behind the arc in the contest. 

The road team got wide-open looks continuously while the Judges were unable to challenge any perimeter shots. 

Despite their success from beyond the arc, Rochester only had an one offensive rebound and took just two foul shots in the entire game. Even though this does not usually translate to success, the stats help explain the struggles in the Judges’ play and the smooth play from the Yellowjackets.

The visitors had barely any offensive rebounds because they rarely missed shot attempts. They never went to the foul line because the Judges were not contesting shots from them. 

Rochester mostly took only open shots, and was not in a lot of positions to get fouled. 

The key to Rochester’s success was its ability to move the ball. It out-assisted Brandeis 20-7 for the 40-minute game. 

The bench played a huge part for the victors, outscoring the Judges’ reserves 41-24, helping secure the Yellowjackets a 41-point advantage with just over 15 minutes remaining in the second half. 

The Judges were led by guard Tim Reale ’17 and forward Jordan Cooper ’18 who had nine points apiece. The team played without one of its leading scorers in center John Powell ’17 who is dealing with a wrist injury. The victory for Rochester moves it to 7-11 overall, and puts them one game ahead of Brandeis in conference standings. 

NO. 12 Emory 65, Judges 51

The loss against Emory on Friday night showcased a Brandeis team with much more fight in them. 

 Emory opened up the game on a 21-6 run in the first 11 minutes. The visitors never looked look back after that.The Judges played much better in the second half, actually outscoring Emory 32-31. 

The improved play, however, was not enough to bring the Judges to a crucial conference victory. 

The Judges shot a poor 37.8 percent from the field while the visitors shot a much more solid 51.9 percent for the contest. The team only hit three three-pointers while it attempted 14. Emory hit on 40 percent of its three-point attempts. 

Cooper paced the squad with 14 points along with three rebounds. Guard Robinson Vilmont ’17 also had a strong offensive performance with 12 points. Fellow guard Colby Smith ’16 added three rebounds and three assists with two points. 

Emory used its dominance in size to outrebound 36-24 and score 38 points in the paint, compared to the Judges’ 24. 

Emory controlled the game throughout, having a lead of up to 21 points with just over 12 minutes remaining in the second half. 

In the half the Judges went on a couple runs to cut down the deficit but never lowered the deficit to single digits.

The Eagles were led by sophomore guard Jonathan Terry who scored a game-high 18 points off of he bench.

The Judges will get a chance to redeem themselves when they go on the road to face the same opponents this weekend. 

The squad will be at Emory on Friday night and at Rochester beginning Sunday at noon.