WALTHAM, Mass. – Playing a day late due to inclement weather, the Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team picked up a 71-55 win at University Athletic Association foe Brandeis University on Monday afternoon at Red Auerbach Arena. The game, originally scheduled for yesterday, was postponed due to intense winter weather.
The Spartans (15-7, 6-5 UAA) surpass last season's win total and move into a tie for second place in the conference, one game behind three teams knotted at 7-4. The team's 15 wins rank as the second-highest total in program history behind only the school-record mark of 17 set in both 1984-85 and 1998-99.
Senior center Connor Edel (Akron, Ohio/Revere) matched a career high and led four Spartans in double-figures with a game-best 16 points on 7-of-8 shooting from the field. Edel also pulled down a team-high seven rebounds.
Senior forward Dane McLoughlin (Westerville, Ohio/St. Charles Preparatory) tallied 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from beyond the arc, and senior forward Brian Klements (Willoughby Hills, Ohio/Willoughby South) posted 11 points and six rebounds.
The Judges (8-14, 3-8 UAA) were led by Jordan Cooper with 15 points and seven rebounds. Robinson Vilmont and Nate Meehan each scored nine.
The Spartans started fast and led 12-4 following a McLoughlin three-pointer at the 17:02 mark of the first half. Eight minutes later, the lead grew to 12 when junior guard Matt Clark (St. Louis, Mo./St. Louis University) hit a layup to make the score 24-12 with 8:52 left before halftime. Then with 3:45 on the clock, the CWRU advantage reached a first-half high of 16 as freshman forward Eric Black (Avon Lake, Ohio/Saint Ignatius) hit a layup to make the score 30-14.
In the second half, the CWRU lead grew to as many as 21 and remained at least 11 the entire way. For the game, the Spartans shot .537 from the field.
The Spartans now return home for the final three games of the regular season beginning with a Friday, February 20 matchup against No. 20 nationally ranked Emory University (Ga.) – one of the three teams tied for first place in the UAA.
The game, set to tip off at 8:00 p.m., is part of CWRU's 10th Annual Throwback Weekend which returns to historic Adelbert Gymnasium.