AMHERST, Mass. – The second-ranked Amherst College men's basketball team fell to Brandeis University at LeFrak Gymnasium on Tuesday night, 78-58.
It was the first loss of the season for the Jeffs, who are now 5-1 on the year. With the win, the Judges improve to 3-5 overall and 3-1 in their last four games.
Connor Green '16 posted a game-high 18 points on 7-of-11 shooting with three assists, one block and one steal for Amherst. Jacob Nabatoff '17 added 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting with a team-high six rebounds, while Jayde Dawson '18 scored 10 points. Johnny McCarthy '18 dished out a team-high four assists and added nine points.
Five different players scored in double-figures for Brandeis. Leading the way were Tim Reale and Jon Powell with 17 points each. Jordan Cooper scored 15 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while Carlin Haymon and Robinson Vilmont scored 12 and 11, respectively. Connor Arnold grabbed a game-high eight boards and Colby Smith dished out a team-high four assists.
The first half went back and forth early and often, featuring nine ties and two lead changes. At the 17:25 mark, Nabatoff hit one from behind-the-arc to give the Jeffs a 7-3 lead. Roughly five minutes later, the 6-8 forward beat his defender and put down a contested one-handed dunk to put the Jeffs ahead, 18-16.
After a Reale lay-up knotted the game at 22-22, a jumper by McCarthy seconds later sparked a 7-0 Amherst run. The seven-point lead was short-lived, however, as the visitors went on 9-0 run to take their first lead since the opening seconds.
Tied at 33-33 with 3:36 remaining in the half, the Judges scored seven of the next eight points to hold a 40-34 lead at the break.
The second half was a different story. A free throw by David George '17 at the 17:29 mark cut the deficit to one, but it would be the closest the Jeffs would come to regaining a lead. Six minutes later, Cooper missed a three-pointer but followed up with a lay-up to give the Judges a 10-point advantage. Brandeis would never look back. In the final 13:43 of play, the visitor's outscored Amherst 29-to-13 en route to the 20-point win.
The Judges shot well as a team, going 26-of-48 (54.2%) from the floor and 7-of-12 (58.3%) from downtown. Amherst shot 21-of-48 (43.8%) on field goals and 6-of-15 (40.0%) on three-pointers. The Judges also held a 33-to-23 edge in rebounding and turned the ball over less than 10 times (9), while causing 14 Jeff turnovers.
Amherst returns to LeFrak Gymnasium Thursday, Dec. 11 and will host non-conference opponent Babson. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m.