WALTHAM, Mass. -Â Senior
Marcus Azor finished with 15 points, nine assists and nine rebounds, but No. 25 Brandeis outscored the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth men's basketball team, 50-35, in the second half to run away with a 76-68 victory Tuesday night.
It was the first loss for the Corsairs (6-1) this season. Joining Azor in double figures was senior
Adam Seablom, who led the team with 17 points and added six reboinds and two steals, and senior
Sean Leahy with 11 points and five boards. The game was decided at the free thrown line, as UMassD was just 6-for-10 from the line, while the Judges (2-1) were 16-of-22.
Four players scored in double figures for Brandeis led by graduate student Collin Sawyer, who finished with 24, to reach the 1,000 point mark, while senior Nolan Hagerty recorded 18 points and 13 boards.
The Corsairs got off to a fast start as a triple from Seablom and baskets by junior
Jackson Zancan and Azor had UMassD on top, 11-2, at the 16:25 mark of the first half. Brandeis showed why it was ranked in the preseason poll and went on a 19-6 run over the next eight-plus minutes to take a 21-17 lead with 7:53 on the clock. A jumper by junior
John Martins Jr. and a 3-ball from graduate student
Jake Ashworth had the Corsairs back on top and Martins Jr. sunk another triple to make it a 33-26 halftime advantage.
An Azor layup and five-straight point from Ashworth gave UMass Dartmouth and 11-point, 40-29 lead, which was its largest of the night with 18:00 to go. Brandeis began to slowly chip away with a 22-10 run capped off with a 3-pointer to take a 51-50 lead with 8:33 left in regulation. An and-1 from sophomore
Isaac Percy kept UMassD in the game, but the judges would take a 69-57 advantage with 2:46 to go that was too much for the Corsairs to overcome. Five points by Seablom and a basket by Leahy cut it to a 72-69 deficit with 35 seconds left, but Brandeis hit its free throws to secure the win.
UMass Dartmouth remains on the road with its next game at Roger Williams at 2 p.m. on Sunday.
