WBRS Sports Blog

Ninth-ranked men's basketball team upset in season opener

By Jeffrey Pickette

With ten and a half minutes left in the second half of the mens' basketball team's seasoning opening tilt at Lasell College Tuesday night, chants of "overrated" from the Lasell faithful filled the gymnasium.

Brandeis, ranked ninth in D3hoops preseason top 25 poll, had just called a timeout following a turnover from forward Steve DeLuca (GRAD) and trailed 54-47.

The Judges were able to cut into the deficit, but ultimately these same "overrated" chants reverberated as the final buzzer sounded. Lasell avenged its tournament loss to Brandeis in the opening round of last year's NCAA tournament, squeaking by the Judges 68-66 this time around.

With the upset, Brandeis falls to 0-1, while Lasell is 1-0.

Brandeis trailed 68-64 with 1:43 left to play when Lasell sophomore guard Corey Godfrey converted a layup. The Judges would play suffocating defense for the remainder of the game, but could not muster enough offense to tie the score or take a lead.

Rookie guard Tyrone Hughes '11 stole the ball from Lasell rookie guard Kevin Richard with 52 seconds left on the clock. Guard Andre Roberson '10 drew a foul on the ensuing offensive possession and sank both his free throws, closing the gap to 68-66.

On Lasell's next possession, Richard turned the ball over for the second time in a twenty second span, crossing the half-court line for a back-court violation, giving Brandeis the ball with 32 seconds left.

Brandeis maintained possession for the rest of the game, missing three potential game-tying shots in the process. The final shot came with 2.5 seconds left on the clock when guard Kevin Olson '09 found Roberson under the hoop for an uncontested layup attempt.

The ball would not fall in, however, and forward Terrell Hollins' 10 last-ditch effort to tip the ball in was for not, cementing the upset victory for Lasell.

The three-point shot was Lasell's offensive weapon de jour, accounting for 12 of 26 converted shots and 23 of 54 shot attempts. Meanwhile, Brandeis was 5 of 11 from beyond the arc.

Four Judges scored in double figures, led by preseason first-team D3hoops All-America selection DeLuca's 16 points. Brandeis shot only 37.9 percent for the game (22-58), including only 7 of 23 (30.4 percent) in the first half.

Odds and Ends...

... Rookie guard Tyrone Hughes had an impressive debut. While first-year players are bound to have their ups-and-downs, if the Lasell game is any indication of how Hughes will play this season, Brandeis has a solid one-two punch with Roberson and Hughes at the point guard position.

Hughes had 10 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 steals in 24 minutes of play. His aforementioned steal in the final minute of the second half kept Brandeis' hopes for victory alive.

Brandeis seemed to be most effective when Roberson and Hughes were on the court together. This lineup move is similar to when coach Brian Meehan paired guard Kwame Graves-Fulgham '08 with Roberson last season.

... The starting lineup consisted of Roberson, DeLuca, Olson, guard Kenny Small '10, and forward Christian Yemga '11. Hollins, who coaches plan to use off the bench this season, played only 17 minutes.

... Brandeis missed three out of four free throw attempts in a 55-second span between 6:47 and 5:52 left in the second half. Brandeis did not hit a field goal in the final two minutes of play.

... Olson was 4-4 behind the three point line, accounting for 12 of his 14 points.

Final Thought...

Whether or not Brandeis is "overrated," as Lasell fans suggest, will be left up to the folks at D3hoops.com to decide. But, Brandeis faces a near-must-win situation this Saturday at WPI. With a difficult non-conference schedule lying ahead, Brandeis cannot afford to start the season at 0-2.

Next Game...

Brandeis plays WPI on the road Saturday night at 6pm. WBRS will be courtside with the call, so be sure to tune in via radio or computer.