Brandeis led 9-8 early in the first frame before Washington U. scored 10 consecutive points over the next three minutes. Junior center Mike Grunst tallied 10 points during the run, including two three-point field goals. He finished the half with 10 points and five blocks before picking up his third foul with less than three minutes before the break.
The Bears led 31-21 at the 5:31 mark before the Judges scored 12 of the next 15 points to draw within one (34-33). However, senior Anthony Hollins hit two from downtown in the last minute of the half the help WU secure a 42-36 halftime edge.
Senior Bryan Lambert, the reigning UAA Athlete of the Week, led the Judges with 11 points and eight rebounds. Hollins (10 points) and senior Rob Keller (10) joined Grunst in double figures for the Bears, who shot .567 from the field (17-of-30).
The Bears opened the second frame sizzling from three-point range. Hollins hit his third triple of the night in between a pair of Keller treys, giving WU a 53-40 lead and forcing a BU timeout with 15:48 left on the clock.
After the break, Hollins scored on another lay-up, followed by a jump-hook by Grunst. Junior point guard Scott Stone then dribbled upcourt and fed senior Michael Faherty, who connected from beyond the arc in the left corner. Keller scored the next trip down the floor in the post and Brandeis, which had won its last four games, called another timeout. WU put the game away thereafter with eight straight points, which gave it a 70-47 advantage with 9:19 to play.
Hollins finished with a career-high 21 points on 9-of-11 shooting from the field. Keller tallied 19 points, and Grunst finished with 17 points and nine blocked shots (just one off his career high). Stone also added six points, eight assists and a game- and career-high 11 rebounds. Lambert ended with a team-high 17 points and 11 boards for Brandeis, which dropped to 10-6 and 3-3 in conference play.
Washington U. (11-6, 3-3 UAA), which moved from fifth to third place in the UAA with its win tonight, returns to action Sunday at New York University. Tip-off is slated for noon (EST) in Manhattan.