WALTHAM, Mass. – For the second game in a row, the Brandeis University men's basketball team never trailed in the contest today as the Judges defeated Colby College, 77-57, on the second day of the 2023 UAA Challenge. Brandeis had four players score in double figures, including sophomore Jake Bender's (Hope, R.I./St. George's School) first collegiate double-double.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 5-2.
• Colby: 4-4.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Judges wasted no time in establishing themselves, outscoring Colby 20-3 over the first seven-and-a-half minutes of action, highlighted by a pair of Bender 3-pointers.
• The Mules battled back and climbed within seven points on a lay-up by Jack Lawson that made it 33-26 in favor of the Judges with 4:38 left in the half.
• Colby called timeout after that bucket, but Brandeis took advantage of the momentum break, scoring the game's next nine points and closing the half on a 13-4 run thanks to a late put-back from senior Aedan Using (Old Lyme, Conn./Old Lyme).
• Bender led a balanced Brandeis attack in the first half with nine points thanks to three 3-pointers. He also had eight rebounds, establishing a career-high in just 17 minutes.
• Colby's offense ran through Lawson, who hit 7-of-10 from the field in the first to score 16 points, more than half of his team's output.
• With a 16-point halftime lead, the Judges were never really challenged in the second period, as the closest the Eagles would get was 15 points the rest of the way. Brandeis's biggest lead was 22 points, just before the final bucket of the game by the Mules.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• For the third game in a row, the Judges put four players in double figures. Senior Sam Adusei (Worcester, Mass./St. George's School) led the way for the third time during the team's four-game winning streak, scoring 15 points. He hit 5-of-13 overall, 1-of-4 from 3-point range and 4-of-5 from the line. Adusei also had four assists and a game-high four steals.
• Adusei was matched by sophomore Sam Adusei (Windsor, Conn./IMG Academy) off the bench with 15 points. Zene connected on 3-of-4 from 3-point range to reach the plateau.
• Bender earned his first collegiate double-double with 12 points and a game- and career-high 13 rebounds. Bender hit 4-of-10 from the field, 3-of-7 from 3-point range and 1-of-2 from the line. Three of his rebounds came on the offensive glass, and he also contributed three assists.
• Junior Gilbert Otoo (Burtonsville, Md./St. Vincent Pallotti) was the last Judge in double digits with 10 points. He also grabbed eight rebounds.
• Senior Ryan Power (Waltham, Mass./Waltham) had a fine all-around game, with eight points, game-high six assists, four offensive rebounds and three steals.
• Brandeis won the battle of the boards, 41-31, including 15-6 on the offensive glass, leading to a 22-5 margin in second-chance points. The Judges also committed half as many turnovers as the Mules, 16-8, leading to a 25-6 edge in points off turnovers.
• The loss overshadowed a fine performance from Colby forward Jack Lawson, who scored 25 points in 27 minutes. He scored 44 percent of his team's offense, hitting 11-of-18 from the field, 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and 1-of-2 from the line.
• Matthew Lamy added 10 points off the bench for the visitors, while Max Poulton led Colby with six rebounds.

UP NEXT

• The Judges are back in action on Thursday evening at 7:30 p.m. against their local rivals from Lasell University.

2023 UAA CHALLENGE

• In today's first game, #16-ranked Emory went on a 10-2 run to open the second half to defeat Bates, 88-77.
• The Eagles and Bobcats were tied, 41-41, at the break before Emory came out of the locker room on fire to pull away.
• Seven players on both teams finished with double digit scoring. Logan Shanahan led Emory with 21 points and a game-high 14 rebounds, while Babacar Pouye had 24 points, 12 rebounds and a team-high four assists to pace the Bobcats.
• The UAA finished 4-0 in Waltham against their NESCAC foes, while also winning the first two games at Middlebury College.