CHICAGO, Ill. -- Brandeis University senior guard Kevin
Olson (Rockport, Mass./Rockport) had 22 points to tie for
game-high honors, while junior guard Andre
Roberson (Springfield, Mass./Wilbraham & Monson)
registered a double-double with 14 points and 10 assists, but it
wasn't enough to overcome torrid 3-point shooting by the host
University of Chicago Maroons, who put all five starters in double
figures by connecting on 17-of-26 from beyond the arc to earn a
90-81 University Athletic Association victory. Brandeis falls to
12-7 overall, 5-3 in the UAA, while Chicago moves to 3-16, 3-6 UAA.
The Judges got in a hole early, falling behind by a 17-4 margin
with just over 5:30 gone as UC connected on six of their first
eight shots, including their first three trifectas. Brandeis
responded by scoring 17 of the next 20 points of the game, as an
Olson lay-in put the visitors ahead, 21-20, with 6:47 before the
intermission.
Chicago caught fire once again, however, closing the stanza on
an 18-8 string. The Maroons reclaimed the lead on a Jake Pancratz
3-pointer and never looked back, scoring their last six buckets
from beyond the arc. They got two each from Adam Machones and John
Kinsella to go with Pancratz's hoop to open the run and one from
Michael Sustarcic with 24 seconds left to close the period at
38-28. Olson had 10 points at the break, while junior Kenny
Small (Stratford, Conn./Stratford) had seven for the
Judges, but no other player had more than four. Due to two quick
fouls, grad student Steve DeLuca (Merrimack,
N.H./Merrimack) had no points or rebounds in just four minutes.
Kinsella led the hosts with nine first half points on three
3-pointers, while Machones and Sustarcic had eight apiece with two
trifectas each. UC connected on 67 percent from downtown (10-15) in
the first half as they scored as much in the first half as they did
for the entire game in a loss in Waltham last Sunday.
The 3-point parade slowed down early in the second half, as the
teams traded two-point buckets and free throws over the first three
minutes of the stanza. Ahead by eight, 44-36, with just over three
minutes gone, UC scored the next eight points of the contest,
pushing the lead to 16 on a traditional three-point play by senior
Matt Corning. Olson answered with his first deep ball of the second
half to keep the Judges within sight, while a Rich
Magee (Burke, Va./Lake Braddock) lay-up got the lead back
down to 11, but back-to-back bombs by Kinsella and Pancratz
squashed the Brandeis momentum as the Maroons took their biggest
lead, 58-41, with 12:41 left. Though two more Olson trifectas kept
Chicago from pulling any further away, the Judges were unable to
get back within double digits until trimming the lead to 80-71 with
2:11 left. Brandeis didn't give in, cutting the lead to six with 53
seconds left, but it was too little, too late.
Olson's 22 points tied for game-high honors. He was two points
and one 3-pointer shy of a season-high in each category. Roberson
registered his second career double-double with his 14 points and
10 assists, tied for a career-high. Also reaching double figures in
scoring for the Judges were DeLuca and Small with 12 points each
and sophomore forward Christian Yemga (Yaounde,
Cameroon/Proctor Acad.) with 11. DeLuca, Magee and Yemga all had
four rebounds for the Judges, who lost despite shooting 60.4
percent from the field for the game (32-53), their second-highest
total of the season.
Chicago also got a point-assist double-double, as Machones
finished with 16 points and 11 dimes. He also led all players with
five rebounds. Kinsella's 22 points matched Olson for game-high
honors, while Sustarcic had 19 points. Pancratz finished with 17
points and Corning's 13 put all five starters in double figures for
the Maroons. Chicago committed just 11 turnovers, eight fewer than
last Sunday. They finished the game shooting 58.3% for the contest
(28-48), outscoring the Judges from beyond the arc, 51-30, and 17-7
from the free-throw line.
Both teams are in action on Sunday afternoon, when the Judges
travel to No. 2 ranked and defending national champion Washington
University, while Chicago hosts NYU. Both games are at 1:00 p.m.
EST.
BOX
SCORE