Men’s Basketball Comeback Falls Short in 81-79 OT Thriller vs. Brandeis

THE BASICS 

Score: 
Brandeis 81 – Emmanuel 79 (Final/OT)

Records: 
Emmanuel College Saints (1-1)
Brandeis University Judges (3-0)

Location: Boston, Mass. – Jean Yawkey Center / Andy Yosinoff Court

Date: Wednesday, November 16, 2022

THE LEAD – With time winding down in overtime, Judges sophomore Toby Harris (Durham, N.C.) made a three-point field goal from the left wing with 3.1 seconds remaining, providing the game-winning basket in Wednesday night's 81-79 victory over the Emmanuel Saints in non-conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Harris secured a defensive board with 25 seconds remaining, setting up the eventual game-winning play. A drive into the paint resulted in a kickout pass in the left corner to junior Ryan Power (Waltham, Mass.), who swung to the open man in Harris. The Judges leading scorer shot over the contest of Saints junior Bryant Ciccio (Attleboro, Mass.) and made his second three-pointer of the night, giving BU an 81-79 lead.
• Emmanuel used a timeout after the basket, drawing up their final play of the night. Saints senior Kendrick Jean-Francois (Lynn, Mass.) caught the inbounds at half-court, turned toward the basket, and shot from nearly 50 feet. His attempt appeared on target but came up a few feet short, as the Judges escaped with the two-point win.
• In overtime, a three-point field goal by first-year Ismani Cepeda (Roslindale, Mass.) with 3:11 remaining gave EC a 77-76 advantage, their first lead since 2-1 in the first half. Cepeda converted a layup on the next possession, giving Emmanuel a 79-76 lead. But, the final five points belonged to Brandeis on a layup by junior Sam Adusei (Worcester, Mass.) with 54.2 seconds left, followed by Harris's game-winning three-pointer.
• Brandeis seemed poised for a comfortable victory, leading by double-digits for most of the evening, including a 69-59 lead with 7:43 to go. Over the next 3:07, the Saints turned Wednesday's game into a thrilling finish, going on a 10-0 run to tie the game. Back-to-back three's by senior Ricky Martin (Sicklerville, N.J.) and consecutive layups by junior Ryan Grijalva (Stratham, N.H.) and senior Donte Pope (Middletown, Conn.) capped off the 10-point surge, tying the game at 69-69 with 4:37 remaining.
• Brandeis held a three-point lead in the final two minutes thanks to a three-pointer by first-year Ethan Edwards (Brooklyn, N.Y.), but a critical three-point play from Martin with 1:17 remaining put the two sides back in a deadlock, this time at 74-74.
• The Judges jumped out to an early double-digit advantage with Power scoring 12 points on 5-for-6 shooting in the opening 6:51, helping Brandeis to a 21-10 lead. Emmanuel pulled to within four after a 7-0 run cut the deficit to 21-17, but a response from Brandeis with a trio of three-point makes, all by Adusei, rebuilt the Judges advantage to 30-17.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Harris finished with 20 points on 7-of-15 shooting in 34 minutes. He added six rebounds and two assists on the night.
• Power played 42 minutes for the Judges, finishing the evening with 18 points. Adusei and Edwards also finished in double-figures with 17 and 14 points, respectively.
• First-year Quron Zene (Windsor, Conn.) played 33 minutes and stuffed the stat sheet with two points, seven rebounds, and a game-high five blocks.
• For EC, Grijalva matched a career-high, scoring 18 points on 7-of-17 shooting in 40 minutes.
• Martin added 14 points on 5-of-8 from the field, including 3-for-5 from beyond the arc.
• Jean-Francois matched his career-best with 12 points. First-year Zaire Baines (Queens, N.Y.) and senior Ted Weber (Orange, Conn.) round out the players in double-figures with 11 and 10 points, respectively.

UP NEXT

• The Saints return to action this weekend, hosting the EC Basketball Tip-Off Classic on Nov. 19 and 20. Emmanuel hosts UMaine Farmington on Saturday at 6:00 p.m., followed by a game on Sunday with No. 8 WPI at 5:00 p.m.
• Brandeis continues a three-game road trip with a Saturday afternoon tip at Lasell, set for 3:00 p.m.