Brandeis (5-2) won its fourth straight game for the first time since the 1995-96 season and pulled within two wins of their 2003-04 total. In addition to allowing Clark (1-5) to hit just two of its first 18 shots of the game, the Judges also forced 10 first-half turnovers. Meanwhile, Brandeis was hitting 47 percent and committing just six turnovers of their own. For the game, Brandeis shot 45 percent (30-66), outrebounded Clark by a 50-29 margin and had 19 assists on their 30 baskets.
The Judges were led by rookie guard Florian Rexhepi (Skopje, Macedonia), who scored 13 points on five-of-10 from the floor, including three 3-pointers. No other Brandeis player scored in double figures, though rookie forward Rocco Toppi (Portland, Maine) and guard Kwame Graves-Fulgham (Amherst, Mass.) had nine each and four others scored eight. Freshman forward/guard Joe Coppens (Rockland, Mass.) had eight points and a team-high eight rebounds. He also matched Graves-Fulgham’s game-high five assists.
Clark was paced by junior Tim Dutille (Sunapee, N.H.), who had game-high honors with 17 points. He hit 11-of-12 from the free throw line and three-of-six from the floor. Dutille was the only Cougar to make it to the charity stripe. Grad student Adam Miller (Shrewsbury, Mass.) had eight rebounds to equal Coppens for game-high honors. He also led Clark with three assists.
Brandeis is next in action Thursday night when they host UMass-Dartmouth at 7 p.m. before heading to North Carolina to take on Division I Davidson College on Saturday.