WALTHAM, MA – Down by 11 at the half, No. 7 University of Rochester men's basketball doubled up the Brandeis University Judges, 24-12, over the first 11:28 of the second half, to take a 56-55 lead, but the 'Jackets eventually fell short by the final score of 83-72 on Friday evening at Red Auerbach Arena.
Looking for their first University Athletic Association (UAA) road win of the year, the Yellowjackets started hot out of the gate, opening up an early first-half lead.
C.J. Amsellem knocked down an early triple to make it 5-2 in favor of UR, while baskets by Matt Wiele and Ross Gang brought Rochester's lead out to five, 9-4, with 16:22 to play in the first.
The Yellowjackets would keep on rolling, with five points from Logan Jagodzinski on a made three-pointer and tip-in to make it 14-6 UR, before T.C. Price sank another three to give the visitors a 17-8 lead with 14:16 left in the first half.
However, the Yellowjackets would go ice cold over the next 4:20, coughing the ball up four times as the Judges used an 18-0 run to turn a nine-point deficit into a nine-point lead, 26-17, with 9:07 left in the first.
Toby Harris scored 10 of Brandeis' 18 points over the stretch, as the Judges shot 7-for-9 from the field over the run to take the lead.
Back-to-back dunks by David Perez-Miralles and Wiele brought UR back within six, but another Brandeis run, this time a 9-0 run over 2:08, brought the Judges' lead out to its largest of the night, 37-22, with 6:09 remaining in the first half.
Down by 15, Rochester would cut Brandeis' lead down to 11 on layups by Wiele and Price headed into the locker room, before UR would get things rolling in the second half.
Brandeis shot a ridiculous 63.3 percent in the first half, while UR shot just 44.0 percent. But the shooting percentages would begin to even out in the second, as Rochester made its run.
Gang opened up the second half with a three, cutting the deficit to single digits, before back-to-back three-pointers by Dylan Lien and Sam Adusei made it a 14-point game.
Down by 14 with 18:13, the 'Jackets began to chip away, first with a 9-0 run to pull within five, 49-44, with 15:36 to play, before a 12-4 run, capped off by Amsellem's layup, gave UR a 56-55 lead.
However, Rochester's lead would be short-lived, as Ethan Edwards scored five of the next seven points for the Judges, putting Brandeis back up by six, 62-56, with 6:47 remaining.
Rochester would again pull within two on Ryan Algier's layup just a couple of possessions later and had a chance to tie things up following Lien's missed layup with 4:59 left.
But a turnover, one of 21 committed by the Yellowjackets on the evening, gave the ball back to the Judges, and Quron Zene sank a tough, contested jumper to put Brandeis back up four.
Two free throws from Price would again pull UR within two, 66-64 with 3:40 left, but that'd be as close as the 'Jackets would get the rest of the way.
The Judges would outscore UR, 17-8, down the final stretch, sinking their free throws each time Rochester sent them to the line while forcing three turnovers to prevent the 'Jackets from getting any closer and eventually seal the 83-72, upset victory.
Brandeis moves to 11-4 (3-1 UAA) with the win, while the 7th-ranked Yellowjackets fall to 12-3 (2-2 UAA) with the loss.
Gang and Wiele each led the 'Jackets with 18 points and four rebounds, with Wiele adding a team-high four assists and two blocks, and Gang a team-high four steals.
Price joined the duo scoring in double figures with 11 points, while Amsellem also matched Wiele with a team-high four assists.
For Brandies, four players scored in double figures, led by Harris' 19 points.
UR outshot the Judges 54.9 percent to just 48.3 percent and dominated inside the paint, 46-28, but an uncharacteristic 21 turnovers did the Yellowjackets in, leading to 29 points off turnovers for Brandies.
The Yellowjackets will look to bounce back when they wrap up the weekend in Brooklyn, NY on Sunday, Jan. 22 at 12:00 p.m. against the New York University Violets.