The Justice

Forward Stephen Hill '08 (white) powers his way for a layup in the men's basketball team's 72-57 win over Babson College last Tuesday. David Sheppard-Brick/the Justice

With the men's basketball team trailing Framingham State College 51-49 with 5 minutes, 23 seconds left in the second half last Saturday, guard Florian Rexhepi '08 became the latest member of the Judges to hit a clutch shot in the waning minutes of a game.

Rexhepi connected on a three-pointer from the corner to put Brandeis up for good in the back-and-forth contest, and despite missing seven free throws down the stretch, the No. 7 Judges held on for a 63-59 victory to improve to 6-0 on the season, following last Tuesday's 72-57 home win over Babson College.

"[Rexhepi's shot] was the boost that gave us enough of a second wind to pull out the win," coach Brian Meehan said. "He gives us great effort but has been struggling. Hopefully that will get him jumpstarted."

The Judges continue to play without injured forward Steve DeLuca '08, who has missed the last four games with lower back and right hamstring injuries. Meehan announced last Saturday that DeLuca will be sidelined for at least the remainder of the first semester, and possibly longer (See story, right).

Brandeis was able to overcome an eight-point second-half deficit to get the win, but despite starting with a 6-0 record for the second straight season, Rexhepi was concerned that the Judges have to resort to comeback efforts.

"We start [games] off strong and let go for some reason," he said. "We have to take the lead and hold the lead instead of losing it and trying to get it back."

The Judges built a 25-13 lead with 7:57 remaining in the first half against Framingham State, but the Rams went on a 34-14 run in the next 20 minutes, spanning two halves, and took a 47-39 lead with 11:42 to go in the game.

"[The Framingham game] was frustrating," guard Kevin Olson '09 said. "Defensively, we really didn't dictate the tempo, so we made it harder on ourselves. We have to consistently play hard for 40 minutes and not have a letdown when we are making a run."

Despite their struggles, the Judges were able to rally when it mattered most, going on an 8-0 run to tie the game at 47 when forward Terrell Hollins '10 beat a double-team and converted on the layup attempt.

Continued...

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