WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University men's basketball team closed the game on a 7-2 run this afternoon to claim a 59-54 upset win over #14-ranked Washington University today in a University Athletic Association (UAA) contest in Red Auerbach Arena.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 11-5, 2-3 UAA.
• Washington (Mo.): 12-4, 2-3 UAA, ranked #14 in Division III by D3hoops.com

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Judges and Bears were locked in a defensive struggle for much of the game, with Brandeis – among the top 20 teams in Division III in scoring defense - holding the visitors 20 points below their season scoring average.
• WashU had the edge in the first half, as the Bears shot 50 percent from the field (13-26) and 33 percent from 3-point range (3-9). They led by as many as six points and took a 31-27 lead into the locker room.
• Brandeis hit just 35.5% (11-31) in the first half, including 25% from downtown (3-12). Sophomore Quron Zene (Windsor, Conn./IMG Academy) kept the Judges in the game singlehandedly, scoring 11 of the team's 27 points, including all three of their 3-pointers.
• The hosts quickly erased their deficit in the second half, outscoring WashU 9-5 over the first 3:25, knotting the game at 36 on a jumper by senior center Aedan Using (Old Lyme, Conn./Old Lyme) on a possession after he picked up a blocked shot.
• The game would go on to feature six more ties and three lead changes the rest of the way, with neither team able to gain more than a two-possession advantage until the end.
• The key stretch of the game came in the last five minutes. After Brandeis senior Sam Adusei (Worcester, Mass./St. George's School) connected on a corner 3-pointer, the Bears' Will Grudzinski answered from the right elbow to square things up at 52-all with 4:24 on the clock.
• The teams each came up empty on their next two possessions until Zene broke the tie with a jumper from the free-throw line with 3:00 left.
• Zene got a steal on the next WashU possession and Adusei converted a driving lay-up on the other end with 2:17 to go, making it 56-52.
• The Bears committed an offensive foul on their next possession. The Judges couldn't capitalize, but got a stop on their next defensive possession, and Adusei hit 1-of-2 from the line to make it a five-point game.
• WashU's Hayden Doyle hit a pair from the line with 53.9 seconds to get the Bears back within three. They kept the Judges from extending the lead, but Brandeis's intense defense forced an off-balance 3-pointer.
• Judge senior Ryan Power (Waltham, Mass./Waltham) corralled the rebound and found Zene, who hit his two free throws for the final five-point margin.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Zene came off the bench and led all scorers with a career-high 20 points in 13 minutes. He hit 7-of-13 overall, 4-of-7 from 3-point range and both free throws. He also grabbed five rebounds.
• Adusei had a fine all-around performance, scoring 11 of his 15 points in the second half. He also led the Judges with a game- and career-high nine rebounds and topped the squad with three assists and two steals.
• Using had another solid performance with eight points, eight rebounds – five offensive – and three blocked shots.
• Brandeis won the battle of the boards, 41-36, including 14-8 on the offensive glass, leading to a 15-7 edge in second-chance points.
• They also won the turnover battle, 16-12, and converted it into a 17-9 advantage in points off those turnovers.
• WashU was paced by Doyle with 18 points and six rebounds. Kyle Beedon added 12 points and Yogi Oliff had 11.
• Beedon and Oliff tied for team-high honors with eight rebounds, while Oliff led all players with five assists.
• After 50 percent shooting in the first half, the WashU was held to just 29% from the field (12-33) in the second, including 12.5% from deep (2-16). The Bears finished at 38.6% overall (22-57) and 20% from 3 (5-25).
• The Judges have won two of the last three meetings with the Bears in Waltham.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis takes on their fourth nationally-ranked opponent from the UAA next weekend, #22 Emory, next Friday evening at 7:30 p.m.
• Washington hosts Carnegie Mellon next Friday at 8:30 p.m.