Posted: Jan 17, 2016
From Brandeis University Athletics
The Brandeis University men's basketball team earned their first University Athletic Association victory of the season today as the Judges outlasted visiting Emory University, 76-68, in overtime. The Judges outscored the Eagles 15-7 in the extra session, hitting 13-of-15 from the free-throw line to clinch the win. Brandeis improves to 7-7 overall, 1-2 in the UAA. Emory falls to 9-5, 2-1 UAA.
HOW IT HAPPENED – FIRST HALF
- After Brandeis hit the first 3-pointer of the game, Emory scored the next 11 in a row.
- The Eagles were ahead, 18-9, with just over seven minutes gone in the game.
- The Judges scored the next 15 points in a row, starting with two Jordan Cooper (Weston, Fla./Sagemont School) trifectas.
- Cooper assisted the go-ahead bucket, and a Robinson Vilmont (Cambridge, Mass./Wilbraham and Monson Acad.) long ball made it 24-18, Judges with 6:25 left.
- EU bounced back and retook the lead on an Adam Gigax lay-up with two-and-a-half minutes left in the first, but Vilmont and Cooper connected from deep again to give Brandeis a 34-31 lead at halftime.
- Gigax led all players with 17 points in the first, while Cooper had 13 and Vilmont 10.
HOW IT HAPPENED - SECOND HALF
- Brandeis opened the second half with a 10-2 run to take their biggest lead of the game, 44-33, on a Nate Meehan (Lowell, Mass./Phillips Andover)bucket with just over five minutes gone.
- The Judges were still ahead by 11 at 51-40 with 11:48 on the clock when Emory rallied. The Eagles went on an 18-4 run over the next eight-plus minutes.
- EU tied the game at 55-55 on a Davis Rao 3-pointer and took a 58-55 lead when Whit Rapp hit from downtown with 3:34 left.
- The Judges stopped the bleeding from the line with a John Powell (Ashland, Mass./Brimmer and May School) free throw, then reclaimed a 59-58 lead on another Vilmont 3-ball with 2:18 in regulation.
- Powell scored on a driving lay-up with 1:27 to go to make it a 3-point game, but Gigax answered with his third trifecta, tying the game at 61-61 with 1:17 remaining.
- Both teams played terrific defense down the stretch, as Emory's Austin Dague blocked Vilmont's driving lay-up with just under half a minute left.
- After the Eagles called timeout with 19.7 seconds remaining, they worked the clock down, but Judge junior captain Tim Reale (Mason, Ohio/St. Andrews School, R.I.) reached in and swiped the ball from an Eagle guard to get the ball back with 5.4 seconds on the clock.
- Vilmont dribbled up court and got a decent look from the right corner as the buzzer sounded, but couldn't get it to drop.
HOW IT HAPPENED – OVERTIME
- Emory won the opening tap of overtime but missed a 3-pointer. Cooper drew a foul on the other end and hit both freebies to give Brandeis an early lead in the extra session.
- Gigax answered with a lay-up, but on the next Brandeis possession, Vilmont got an offensive rebound and found a streaking Cooper for a go-ahead bucket and a foul, though he missed the ensuing free throw.
- The Judges scored the game's next five points from the line, eventually icing the contest with 13-of-15 from the charity stripe.
FOR BRANDEIS
- Cooper led the Judges with 24 points on 8-of-13 from the field, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 5-of-6 from the line.
- It was his season-high in scoring and four off his career-best 28. It marked his third 20+ point game of the season and sixth of his career.
- Vilmont finished with 16 points, while Powell had 13 off the bench – more than the entire EU reserves combined.
- Vilmont and Powell tied for team-high honors with seven rebounds. Powell also had three blocked shots.
- Reale set a new career-high with seven assists.
FOR EMORY
- Gigax led all players with 25 points on 11-of-20 overall, 3-of-10 from 3-point range.
- Will Trawick also reached double digits with 18 points, seven of which came from the foul line.
- Jonathan Terry had a game-high eight rebounds off the bench for the Eagles, while Rapp matched Reale's game-high with seven assists.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Brandeis improved to 1-1 this season in overtime. Emory falls to 0-2.
- The Judges outscored the Eagles from the free throw line, 23-9, and hit 76.7% compared to just 60.0% for the visitors.
- Brandeis won the battle of the boards, 41-35.
- Brandeis had lost four in a row and eight of nine in the series with Emory.