WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University men's basketball team jumped out early and never relinquished control, earning an 88-72 victory over Carnegie Mellon on Friday evening as head coach Jean Bain moved into sole possession of third on the Judges' wins list with career victory #101. Four Brandeis starters scored in double figures to get Bain the milestone win.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 11-6, 4-2 UAA.
• Carnegie Mellon, 10-6, 2-3 UAA.

WIN #101

• Bain's milestone win helped him surpass Harry Stein, the Judges's first coach for the first seven seasons in the 1950s, for third on the career list.
• With a career record of 101-69, Bain's .591 winning percentage is second only to Stein's .671 percentage (100-49) 

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Brandeis set the tone early, opening the game with strong inside play and perimeter shooting to jump out to a 19-11 lead 8 minutes through the first half. Senior Elias Rodl (Berlin, Germany/Schulund Leistungssportzentrum Berlin) and graduate student Aedan Using (Old Lyme, Conn./Old Lyme) sparked the offense, while graduate student DJ Courtney (Miami, Fla./ Christopher Columbus), and sophomores Ryan Weiss (Hewlett, N.Y./North Broward Prep), and Alex Zakheim (Bergenfield, N.J./ Perkiomen, Pa.) helped stretch the lead as the Judges steadily built momentum.
• Carnegie Mellon kept pace behind Nikola Dimitrijevic and Evan Mirazimi, shortening their deficit to 21-17 at the 11:16 mark, but Brandeis responded with timely 3-pointers from graduate student Jai Deshpande (San Carlos, Calif./ Sacred Heart Prep) and Courtney to maintain control.
• The Judges closed the half on a strong note, holding CMU scoreless from the field over the final five minutes, using an 11-4 run to head into the break with a 50-35 advantage.
• The Judges carried that energy into the second half, with a pair of 3-pointers from Rodl and Using to push the lead to 58-45.
• An early 3-pointer by Buckley Dejardins got CMU within nine points less than three minutes into the second half, but Rodl answered from long distance, and the Judges's margin never went below double digits the rest of the way.
• A Courtney fast-break lay-up gave Brandeis its largest lead of the game at 18 points with 7:47 to go and the Judges cruised from there.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Judges were led by Rodl, who contributed a game-high 23 points while adding seven rebounds. 
• Courtney followed with 16 points and a team-best six assists, knocking down four 3-pointers. 
• Zakheim and Using each added 13 points, with Using also contributing a game-high 10 rebounds, tying a season-high for his second double-double of the campaign.
• Carnegie Mellon was led by Dimitrijevic, who finished with 23 points and seven rebounds.
• Mirazimi chipped in 13 points and a team-high 11 rebounds, while Sam Adusei, a graduate student who played his undergrad at Brandeis, added 13 points. DeJardin rounded out the double-figure scorers with 10.
• The Judges were highly efficient offensively, shooting 54.2 percent from the field and an impressive 45.5 percent from 3-point range (10-of-22). Brandeis also capitalized at the free-throw line, converting 14-of-15 attempts (93.3 percent). Carnegie Mellon shot 36.5 percent overall and struggled from 3-point range, finishing 3-of-27 (11.1 percent).
• However, Carnegie Mellon held an advantage on the glass, outrebounding Brandeis 39-33, including a 16-4 edge in offensive rebounds that led to a 19-2 margin in second-chance points. The Judges countered by limiting turnovers, committing just eight, and converting efficiently in transition and half-court sets.
• This win improved Brandeis' all-time record against Carnegie Mellon to 38-35, including a 22-14 record at home.

UP NEXT

• The Judges host Case Western Reserve University in a UAA matchup on Sunday, Feb. 1, at 1:00 p.m. in Waltham (note time change).