WALTHAM, Mass. – In a tight game in which neither team led by more than six points, the Brandeis University men's basketball team closed on a 20-9 run over the final eight minutes tonight to defeat visiting Lasell University, 62-57, in Red Auerbach Arena.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 6-2.
• Lasell: 6-4.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Judges led for most of the first half, but their largest margin came early at 10-4 on a layup by senior Sam Adusei (Worcester, Mass./St. George's School) 4:45 into the game.
• Lasell stayed within two possessions, tying the game twice before taking the lead on a 3-pointer by Greg Farrow that made it 26-23 with 1:52 to go before the break.
• Brandeis sophomore Quron Zene (Windsor, Conn./IMG Academy) answered from long distance, but Farrow made two more free throws.
• Adusei had a steal and a lay-up late, but Lasell's Andy Madesko beat the buzzer before the half to give the Lasers a 30-28 lead after 20 minutes.
• Farrow had 11 points, in the first half to lead Lasell, while Adusei and Zene each had eight.
• Farrow opened the second half with a jumper and Marcus Lewis hit a free throw as the Lasers opened up a five-point lead, 33-28, 1:10 into the stanza.
• Much like the first half, Brandeis never let their deficit expand beyond two possessions.
• The Lasers took their latest six-point lead on a put-back by Gabe Qua with 7:52 on the clock.
• Over the final stretch, when the Judges outscored Lasell 20-9, Brandeis was able to take advantage of six Lasell turnovers while also making the most of their free throw opportunities, hitting 11-of-13 from the line down the stretch, while the Lasers had just one foul shot.
• The Judges scored 11 unanswered points in one stretch, tying the game when Zene hit four-straight free throws to make it 48-all, while Ryan Power (Waltham, Mass./Waltham) hit 1-of-2 foul shots to give Brandeis its first lead of the second half, 49-48, with 5:15 left on the clock.
• Sophomore Ethan Edwards (Brooklyn, N.Y./Woodstock Academy) back from injury after missing the previous four contests, had a steal and a lay-up, followed by two more Zene free throws, giving Brandeis a 52-48 lead with 3:42 remaining.
• Lasell would close within one on a Madesko lay-up and a Marcus Lewis putback made it 53-52 with 2:52 to go, but Zene dialed long distance on the next possession and the Judges were able to keep the visitors at bay the rest of the way.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Adusei led all scorers with 19 points, hitting 8-of-13 from the field and 3-of-3 from the line.
• Zene came off the bench with 18 points, tying his career-best. He hit 3-of-6 from the field, 3-of-5 from beyond the arc, and 9-of-10 from the line. He also had five rebounds. Zene outscored the Lasell reserves on his own, as Brandeis had 21-4 advantage in bench scoring.
• Power scored just five points, but finished with eight rebounds and six assists, both game-highs.
• Farrow and Lewis tied for team-high honors for Lasell with 16 points each. Farrow matched Power with eight rebounds, while Che Hanks had four assists and Qua had four steals to lead the Lasers.
• Brandeis owned an 18-13 edge in scoring from the free-throw line, including 13-3 in the second half after Lasell owned a 10-5 advantage in the first.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• After losing two of their first three contests, Brandeis is now on a five-game winning streak this season.
• This was their sixth-straight win over Lasell, increasing their series lead to 11-6.

UP NEXT

• The Judges close out the first semester on Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m. against Salem State University on the road.