Leading 7-6 four minutes into the contest, Brandeis scored 14 unanswered points over a six-minute stretch to take a 21-6 lead on two free throws by senior guard Greg Kristof (Medfield, Mass.). Five different players contributed to the run. Emerson sophomore Graham Stephen (Bedford, Mass.) snapped the streak with a put-back off a blocked shot, but the Judges scored another nine unanswered points to take a 29-8 lead with 6:24 left in the stanza.
Brandeis eventually carried a 16-point margin into the break at 32-16. The Judges scored 22 points off 14 Emerson turnovers. Brandeis committed only five giveaways and shot 43.3% from the floor (13-30) while holding the Lions to 35.0% (7-20). Lambert had 10 points and four boards at the break, while holding Emerson’s leading scorer Rob Hennigan (Worcester, Mass.) to just six points on two-of-nine from the floor.
Brandeis pushed the lead to as large as 22 points and Emerson got within 13 late thanks to an aggressive pressure defense, but the Lions could get no closer.
Lambert finished shooting 10-of-16 from the floor and three-of-six from the line for 23 points. He now needs 13 points to reach 1,000 for his career. He would be the 22nd man in Brandeis history to reach the milestone. Lambert has recorded a double-double in seven of his last eight games. Junior guard Stu Pradia (Houston, Texas) was the only other Judges to score in double figures, tallying 12 points on five-of-six from the floor. He also had a game-high six assists and two steals.
Emerson was paced by Hennigan, who bounced back to score 16 points in the second half. He hit five-of-10 from the floor in the second, including three 3-pointers, and was five-of-six from the line before fouling out. Freshman guard Aaron Young (Bristol, Conn.) poured in 12 points off the bench, while Graham finished with 10 points. Sophomore Dan Zinchuk (Bethel, Maine) led the Lions with eight rebounds.