Worcester, MA (courtesy WPI sports Information) --- For the
second-straight game, the Brandeis University men's basketball team
dropped a contest to a fellow 2008 NCAA tournament team, falling to
host WPI, 78-64, on Saturday evening at Harrington Auditorium. The
Judges got a game-high 18 points from preseason All-American Steve
DeLuca (Merrimack, N.H.) and a career-best 11 from rookie Tyrone
Hughes (Dorchester, Mass.), but it wasn't enough as the Engineers
were led by Jerome Kirkland's (Boston, MA) 15 points and four
steals.
Leading 34-28 at the break, the Engineers (4-0) came out of the
locker room on fire in the second half. WPI took control of the
game by scoring 21 of the first 31 points of the second stanza,
keyed by consecutive three-pointers from Kirkland and sophomore
forward Ben Etten (Hollis, NH). WPI shot a blistering 70% from the
field in the second half, connecting on 14-of-20 field goal
attempts.
Utilizing a deep rotation that saw 10 players logging 11 or more
minutes, the Crimson and Gray hounded Brandeis into 23
turnovers. Etten added 14 points and six rebounds for WPI,
while senior guard Adam Lirette (Dover, NH) chipped in with 12
points. Bennett Lessard (Belgrade, ME) provided a spark off
the bench, corralling a game-best eight boards.
The Judges (0-2) were paced by DeLuca, who
tossed in a game-best 18 points and six rebounds. Tyrone
Hughes (Dorchester, MA) and Kevin Olson
(Rockport, MA) contributed 11 and 10 points respectively, while
Vytas Kriskus (Kvedarna, Lithuania) collected
eight points off the bench.
The win pushes WPI to 4-0 on the year and is its second victory
this week over a nationally-ranked team. Thursday night, the
Engineers went on the road and defeated #16 ranked Rhode Island
College before beating the ninth-ranked Judges.
Both teams are back in action on Tuesday. WPI plays the middle
of five straight contests versus teams that appeared in the 2007-08
NCAA Division III Tournament, when they host Lasell College at
5:30pm. Brandeis takes on UMass Dartmouth in its home opener
at 7:30pm.
BOX
SCORE
