The Brandeis men’s basketball team had a very promising week, as they took home two hard-fought wins over a long week of play. The team beat the Salem State University Vikings and the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth Corsairs but lost by just two points against the undefeated Tufts University Jumbos. Through the beginning of the basketball season, the squad has shown that it is prepared to work hard and has the grit needed to succeed in its conference.

Judges 78, Salem St. 63                                                  

On Saturday, the Judges beat the Salem State Vikings 78-63 at home.  Brandeis guard Carlin Haymon ’18 led the way for the Judges with 22 points, shooting 8-13 from the field and 4-6 from deep. Haymon had a stellar night as he made several acrobatic plays to contribute to the Judges’ lead. Collin Sawyer ’20 had a career high of 12 points, and Tim Reale ’17 put up 11. Guard Robinson Vilmont ’17 had nine points and seven rebounds, and forward Jordan Cooper ’18 had nine points and six rebounds.

The first half was very close between the two squads, but as the second half began, Brandeis put together multiple dominant runs to extend their lead to 20 with 6:09 to go. Brandeis finished with a monstrous 15-point lead.

Judges 72, Tufts 74

On Friday, the Judges hosted the No. 3-ranked Jumbos. Brandeis was looking to see if they were capable of giving Tufts a run for their money, and indeed, Brandeis nearly snapped the Jumbos’ winning streak, losing 74-72 in a nail-biter finish to the game. The entire game was a sequence of runs on both sides. Tufts was led by junior guard Vincent Pace,who had 21 points.

The Jumbos won the first half 38-24. The second half remained moderately close as the lead stayed within 10 points up until the seven-minute mark. The Judges put up a series of runs to bring themselves within one point, and this seemed to make Tufts rather nervous. With a few seconds left, the Jumbos were winning by two, and were intentionally fouled to head to the line. The Jumbos missed both free throws, and Brandeis secured the rebound. With only a few seconds remaining, the Judges could not get a good enough shot off. 

The Judges lost the tight match but showed they could compete with any top team.

Judges 65, UMass Dartmouth 60

This past Monday, the Judges hosted UMass Dartmouth and defeated them 65-60. The Judges outscored their opponent in the first half, leading 37-22 at the midway point. They did not slow down coming out of the break, as the Judges went on a 7-4 run to start off the second half.

However, the Corsairs then went on a quick 12-4 run for seven minutes to bring the team within eight, and after a few more minutes, the Judges found their lead narrowed to just three points. UMass Dartmouth continued to establish a fullcourt press against Brandeis, who continuously managed to break it. Leading by three, Cooper found forward Latye Workman ’18 for a dunk to bring the lead to five at 59-54.

The Judges managed to hold off UMass Dartmouth, rising to 2-1 on the season.

 The Judges look ahead to their game today against Amherst College at 7 p.m.