WALTHAM, MA – Rochester's offense came alive at the right time down the stretch as UR rallied to defeat Brandeis University, 55-50, on Sunday afternoon at the Red Auerbach Arena. The Yellowjackets fought back from a seven point deficit in the final four and a half minutes.
 
The victory boosts Rochester's record to 13-6 overall, 5-4 in the University Athletic Association. Brandeis is 9-7 overall, 2-4 in the UAA.
 
This game was mostly a repeat of last Sunday's game in the Palestra – but with the roles reversed. Last Sunday, Brandeis went on an 11-0 run in the closing minutes to post a 66-61 victory at Rochester. In Waltham, Brandeis used a seven-point sprint to build a 49-42 edge with the clock below five minutes to go.
 
When UR called for time with 4:23 left, the Yellowjackets were shooting 5 of 20 from the floor in the second half after connecting on 13 of 25 shots in the first 20 minutes. Rochester led, 31-27, at halftime (one point difference from last week when it was 32-27 UR at the break). Trent Noordsij had nine first-half points, Brian Amabilino Perez had eight, and Matt Wiele contributed six.

The Brandeis scoring leaders at halftime were Nolan Hagerty with eight, Tommy Eastman with six (and five boards), Colin Sawyer and David Perez with four each. A 7-0 run early in the second half, including a trey by Eastman, pushed Brandeis back in front at 34-33. Rochester went on a 7-0 sprint of its own: Ross Gang scored in the lane, Noordsij hit a trey from left wing, and T.C. Price connected on a foul line jumper. That put UR ahead again, 40-36. (After Gang's layup put Rochester up, 35-34, Eastman banked in a short jumper to go up, 36-35. Noordsij 's three put UR ahead 38-36. Hagerty added two inside buckets for a 42-40 lead for the hosts.
 
C.J. Amsellem tied it for Rochester off the left block. Then Brandeis hit the 7-0 spurt: an Eastman layup, a triple by Jones, and an Eastman hookshot.
 
Rochester's comeback started with two free throws from Wiele at 3:37. Noordsij hit a clutch three-pointer in front of his own bench with 2:21 left. That got UR within 49-47. After a quick kickoff on a rebound, Wiele sprinted ahead of the field and dunked to tie it with 1:44 left.
 
The Yellowjackets went ahead on a conventional three-point play by Gang. He stole the ball, drove for a layup, and added the free throw (52-49 at 1:18). After Brandeis missed two free throws, UR ran the clock down and called time. Out of the timeout, Dan Masino ran off more time, then darted into the lane and hit a 14-footer for a 54-49 lead.
 
For the game, Noordsij finished with 15 points. Amabilino Perez and Wiele had 11. Gang scored nine and grabbed four rebounds. Masino had four assists, four steals, and the crucial bucket in the last 15 seconds. Eastman led the Judges with 15. Hagerty scored 12, and Sawyer had 11.

Notes: The game was marked by 12 ties and 15 lead changes... This was the 2,400th men's basketball game in Rochester's history. The Yellowjacket program began in 1901-02 with a game vs. Hobart played in Rochester.