PROVIDENCE, R.I. – In their fourth game of the season, the Brandeis University men's basketball team edged out a hard-fought road win, holding off the Rhode Island College Anchormen, 80–76, in a tense finish.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 2-2.
• Rhode Island College, 2-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Brandeis opened the game with the first basket and controlled the early scoring.
• The scoring stayed close and back-and-forth through the first 10 minutes, but Brandeis held the lead most of that stretch.
• RIC briefly took the lead with 7:44 on the clock on a Tyriek Weeks lay-up.
• Brandeis quickly answered and regained control, maintaining the lead for the remainder of the half.
• Brandeis' largest lead of the half was 7 points (32–25) after first-year Gur Dhillon (Frisco, Texas/Brewster Acad. (N.H.)) hit a free throw with 5:08 left in the half.
• RIC closed the gap late after Noe Bom scored two lay-ups and two free throws in succession, cutting the deficit to one point.
• Brandeis went into halftime ahead 40–39.
• RIC opened the half strong, including two three-pointers by Xavier Mendez to take the lead 52-49.
• The teams traded baskets repeatedly, with neither pulling away for long stretches. The first 12 minutes of the second half featured 3 ties and 8 lead changes.
• Brandeis' offense surged behind sophomore Alex Zakheim (Bergenfield, N.J./Perkiomen) and senior Elias Rodl (Berlin, Germany/Schulund Leistungssportzentrum Berlin); Rodl hit a tying three at 60–60 with 10:01 on the clock and another to put Brandeis ahead for good 65–63 with 7 minutes left.
• Consecutive free throws from Rodl and sophomore Ryan Weiss (Hewlett, N.Y./North Broward Prep) extended the Brandeis lead slightly, 69-63.
• RIC continued to respond with lay-ups and free throws staying within one or two possessions.
• Brandeis pulled ahead once again with a Rodl jumper and three-pointer to go up 78–69, 9 points ahead, their largest lead in the game, with 2:49 left in the game.
• Brandeis held off the Anchormen from there, keeping RIC behind with a final score of 80-76.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Rodl led all scorers with 26 points, with 22 after halftime to fuel the Judges' second-half surge. He also chipped in a team-high six rebounds.
• Zakheim turned in a standout all-around performance with 21 points, a game-high and career-high eight assists, and five rebounds, while also collecting three steals to help drive Brandeis's transition offense.
• Weiss added 18 points, a career-high for him, and contributed defensively with two steals, while Dhillon chipped in 10 points, providing steady scoring in the opening stretch.
• RIC was led by Noe Bom and Loudon Chupas, who each tallied 17 points, with Bom also dishing out a team-high six assists. 
• The Judges capitalized with a 17–9 advantage in points off turnovers, despite the Anchormen earning a 38–26 rebounding edge that led to a 15–10 margin in second-chance points.

UP NEXT

• The Judges face Connecticut College on Saturday, November 22, at 3 p.m., for the last match of their five game road trip.