Brandeis (3-1) led by six points at halftime, 30-24, thanks to torrid 52 percent shooting (12-of-23), including four-of-seven from behind the arc. Babson (2-3) opened the second half on a 14-5 run, taking the lead on two free throws by sophomore Kyle McDonald (Wethersfield, Conn.) at the 11:48 mark and going ahead 38-35 at 11:03 on a lay-up by senior forward Bryan Parsons (Queensbury, N.Y.). The Beavers took advantage of six Brandeis turnovers and two-for-11 shooting over the first nine minutes of the stanza to make their run.
The Judges answered over the next two minutes with a 9-2 run of their own as DeLuca's put-back of a missed trifectas from rookie Kevin Olson (Rockport, Mass.) gave the Judges a 44-40 lead that they would not relinquish. Babson got within one on three other occasions, but the Beavers could not reclaim the lead. A key play came with the Judges ahead, 48-46, with 5:37 on the clock. Sphomore forward Stephen Hill (Brighton, Mass.) drove the lane with the shot clock running down, hit a lay-up and drew a foul, completing the traditional three-point play to give Brandeis a 51-46 lead that was never in jeopardy again.
Brandeis was paced by DeLuca's 13 points on five-of-nine shooting from the floor and three-of-four from the line. Four of his game-high 14 rebounds came on the offensive glass. Classmate Florian Rexhepi (Skopje, Macedonia) was the only other Brandeis player in double figures with 11 points, but the Brandeis bench outscored Babson's by a 26-20 margin in a seven-point game. The Judges also outscored the visitors, 16-12, from the free throw line.
Babson was led by a game-high 19 points from Parsons, who hit eight-of-12 from the floor, including two-of-three from downtown, and his only free-throw attempt. No other Babson player had as many as seven points. Rookie guard Norm deSilva (Dartmouth, Mass.) led the Beavers with six rebounds, while junior Brandon Eigenberg (Milford, Conn.) topped all players with six assists. Babson had 15 assists on 20 field goals.
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