ATLANTA, Ga. – The Brandeis University men's basketball team got a career-high-tying 27 points from junior Elias Rodl (Berlin, Germany/ Schulund Leistungssportzentrum Berlin), but host and #5 Emory erased deficits early and late to escape with an 89-83 victory over the Judges in University Athletic Association play today.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 14-8, 5-6 UAA.
• Emory: 18-4, 8-3 UAA, ranked #5 in Division III by D3hoops.com

HOW IT HAPPENED

• It looked like this one might be over early in the Judges' favor, as Brandeis established a 16-2 lead less than five minutes into the game. The Judges hit seven of their first 11 shots, and Rodl scored 11 of the team's points in that span.
• Emory responded, cutting their deficit to six points on a Jair Knight 3-pointer that made it 22-16 with just under eight minutes gone by.
• The Judges were able to push their lead back to double figures, but Emory erased the deficit completely when Ben Pearce hit a driving lay-up to make it 36-35 in favor of the home team with 2:48 to go.
• Brandeis closed the stanza on a 9-4 run, starting with a trifecta from senior Toby Harris (Durham, N.C./Durham Acad.) and capped by a Rodl jumper that gave the visitors a 44-40 lead at the break.
• Pearce opened the second half with a 3-pointer, and the Eagles scored the first 10 points of the frame to take a 50-44 lead after AJ Harris converted a traditional three-point play.
• The Judges responded with a 7-0 run of their own, reclaiming a 51-50 lead on a Toby Harris 3-pointer.
• Emory bounced back and the hosts were up six, 71-65, with just under eight minutes to go in regulation when Brandeis made another run.
• They scored eight unanswered points, with a Rodl lay-up putting the visitors on top, 73-71.
• The Eagles' Albert Fallas answered with a trifecta to give them a brief 74-73 lead, but Brandeis first-year Alex Zakheim (Haddonfield, N.J./Perkiomen, Pa.) made a terrific put-back of a desperation three to beat the shot clock.
• That sparked an 8-2 run that saw Brandeis take an 81-76 lead on Rodl's short jumper on a feed from Zakheim with 1:51 left.
• The Judges got another stop, but couldn't convert, while Emory cut the lead to three 81-78 on Jair Knight's bucket after the Eagles' second offensive rebound with 51 seconds to go.
• Brandeis was unable to get a off a good shot on their next possession, causing a turnover, and Emory made the Judges pay, as Ben Pearce was fouled after hitting a driving lay-up with 19 seconds to go. He hit the ensuing free throw, tying the game at 81.
• Rodl missed a contested jumper in his game-winning effort, and Emory's attempt after two timeouts in the final seconds just missed, forcing overtime.
• In the extra session, Brandeis got a stop and scored first on two Sam Adusei (Worcester, Mass./St. George's School) free throws.
• The Judges played excellent defense, keeping Emory off the board for the first 2:42 of OT, but they were unable to capitalize on the offensive end, and the Eagles tied the game on pair of Knight free throws.
• After defensive stands on each end of the floor, Knight hit the game-winning bucket, a wing 3-pointer with 1:18 on the clock. The Judges were unable to answer, and they finished the extra session going 0-for-6 from the field as the Eagles escaped with the victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Rodl led all scorers, scoring 27 against Emory for the second time this season. He had 15 in the first half and 12 in the second. Rodl hit 12-of-22 from the field, 1-of-6 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the line. He also pulled down eight boards.
• Toby Harris finished with 17 points, 12 in the first half, while junior Ethan Edwards (Brooklyn, N.Y./Woodstock Acad.) finished with 10 off the bench.
• Adusei had a terrific all-around game with nine points and team-highs of nine rebounds, six assists and three steals.
• Emory was led by Pearce and Knight, who scored 20 points and had six assists each. AJ Harris had 15 off the bench, and Logan Shanahan had 11 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
• Brandeis won the rebounding battle, 43-37, but while the Eagles owned a slim 13-11 margin in turnovers, they were efficient, turning them into 23 points compared to just eight for the Judges.

UP NEXT

• The Judges wrap up the season with a three-game homestand, starting next Friday, Feb 21 at 5:30 against Case Western Reserve.