The men’s basketball team hit the court Sunday against Carnegie Mellon University and Friday against Case Western Reserve University, splitting its contests with the two conference foes. The Judges claimed an easy victory Sunday, thanks mostly to a stellar second half effort. On Friday, however, the Judges fell to Case in a close battle that saw five Judges score in double figures. The squad has had a difficult time stringing together consecutive victories to this point in the season, and this past week’s results only exacerbate concerns over the team’s ability to deliver on a night-to-night basis. 

Judges 81, Carnegie 67

Despite a lopsided final score of 81-67, the Judges matchup against Carnegie Mellon was not as easy as the final tally may indicate. The Judges led by just one point heading into halftime after shooting only 43.3 percent from the field to start the game. However, the tides quickly turned as the Judges came out firing on all cylinders, connecting on 77.3 percent of their field goals in the second half of regular play. 

Taking a closer look at the box score reveals that the Judge’s scoring efficiency was the key to victory on Sunday, as they finished shooting 57.7 percent from the floor, compared to just 36.8 for Carnegie Mellon. Forward Jordan Cooper ’18 had a breakout game for the Judges, totaling 35 points and notching six rebounds on the game. Cooper shot an impressive 11-18 from the field, including 3-7 from the three-point line. Guard Robinson Vilmont ’17 tossed in 12 points of his own to help the Judges and added a team-high seven rebounds to finish the game. Carnegie Mellon was led by freshman forward Jack Serbin, who finished with a team-high 19 points and 10 rebounds in a losing effort. Freshman forward Patrick Ehland contributed 15 points for the Tartans. 

The victory moves the Judges to 9-9 on the season, and 3-4 in UAA play. 

Judges 80, Case 84

The Judges found no such good fortune on Friday, as they fell in a close contest to Case Western. Despite five players scoring in double-digits for the Judges, the squad could not claim victory in the back-and-forth battle, as Case Western’s ability to take advantage of the Judges' turnovers proved critical in the squad’s defeat. The Spartans scored 26 points off of 21 Brandeis turnovers, compared to a mere 15 points off of 18 turnovers for the Judges. 

Though the men’s squad finished the game shooting 53.8 from the field — slightly higher than Case Western’s 49.3  — the Spartans bench outscored the Judges’ by a 30-16 margin. Forward John Powell ’17, who totaled 16 points and eight rebounds, led the Judges from the floor. 

Vilmont threw in 15 points of his own, scoring in double-digits for the 15th time this season. Cooper and Tim Reale ’17 each finished with 11 points in the losing effort. Case senior guard Matt Clark and sophomore forward Eric Black led the Spartans with 17 points each. Black also notched 10 rebounds, while Clark dished out six assists on the night.

The box score reveals that Case was able to not only increase its scoring efficiency in the second half of the game, but also to bombard Brandeis with a collection of 11 3-point conversions, as compared to only four from the Judges. 

Case used a 15-7 run midway through the second half to create some breathing room. Though the Judges pushed back with a run of their own in the final minutes, they were unable to dig themselves out of the hole created by a relatively sluggish second-half stretch. 

In the stats box, Cooper took the lead in rebounds and assists, totaling nine and four, respectively. Although Powell did not take the rebounding crown, he was able to come down with a monstrous four offensive rebounds, leading to a few extra looks for the Judges. Cooper had the next-highest total with three offensive boards for the squad. 

Looking ahead, the Judges look to redeem their loss to the Spartans, as they battle Case yet again on Friday. Later in the weekend, the Judges will again duel with Carnegie Mellon, in the hopes that they can yet again claim a decisive conference victory.