WESTON, Mass. - Regis College battled one of the top teams in the region, but Brandeis University was able to keep the lead throughout the afternoon and pulled away late for a 76-59 victory Wednesday in a non-conference men's collegiate basketball game at Higgins Court.
Russell Rau (Fitchburg, Mass.) notched his third consecutive double-double, scoring 14 of his 19 points in the second half to go along with a team-high 11 rebounds. Zakaria Latifi (Holliston, Mass.) went 5-for-6 from the field as he scored 11 points, while Jamir Harvey (Robbins, Ill.) also scored 11 points, plus he dished out four assists and earned two steals.
Brandeis jumped out to a 12-2 lead, capped by a three-pointer from Sam Adusei and a fast break layup by Gilbert Otoo that forced a Regis timeout. Rau started a 9-3 Pride scoring run with a three-pointer, but the Judges quickly answered thanks to consecutive three-pointers by Jake Bender and David Perez-Miralles.
Late in the first half, Regis closed to within five points at 33-28 on a layup by Latifi, but Otoo converted his own layup to give Brandeis a 35-28 halftime advantage. The Judges opened the second half with a layup by Adusei and a three-pointer from Bender, but Rau would score the next six points to cut the Pride deficit in half.
Midway through the second half, a traditional three-point play from Harvey brought Regis within four points at 50-46, but Perez-Miralles and Adusei hit three-pointers, Bender answered a Rau three-pointer with one of his own, and the Judges pulled away thanks to consecutive long distance baskets by Perez-Miralles, Quron Zene, and Adusei.
Four Brandeis players reached double figures in scoring, led by Adusei with 16 points and Perez-Miralles with 13 points along with four assists and four steals. Otoo finished with 12 points, Bender contributed 11 points and five rebounds, and Aedan Using pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds and dished out five assists during the game.
As a team, the Judges shot 47.6 percent (30-for-63) from the field, including 11-for-24 from behind the three-point line, plus they won the rebounding battle, 39-27, including 13 offensive boards that led to 14 second chance points. The Pride shot 46 percent (23-for-50) from the field, including 5-for-14 from behind the three-point line, and 66.7 percent (8-for-12) from the free throw line.
Regis College (4-8) heads back into GNAC play as it travels to Anna Maria College Saturday, Jan. 6, for a 12 p.m. tipoff. Brandeis (9-2) begins its league schedule at nationally ranked NYU Saturday starting at 4 p.m.