THE BASICS 
Lesley University, 65 vs. Brandeis University, 118

Records: 
Lesley University Lynx (1-2, 0-0 NAC)
Brandeis University Judges (2-0, 0-0 UAA) 

Location: Boston, Mass. – Clark Athletic Center

Date: Friday, November 15, 2024

THE LEAD—The Lesley University men's basketball team took part in its first Black Collegiate Coaches Classic Friday, taking on Brandeis University Judges. Unfortunately, the Lynx fell to the Judges 118-65 Friday afternoon at the Clark Athletic Center on the campus of UMass Boston.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Brandeis started quick Friday as the Judges opened up an early 14-1 advantage led by four points apiece from Jai Deshpande and Jake Bender. Despite the large lead, the Lynx clawed back to get themselves down four (14-10) thanks to a 9-0 run spearheaded by Austin Hamilton's (Stafford, Va.) six points on back-to-back three-pointers.
• Thanks to the Lynx's surge in offense, the Judges ended up taking a 30-second timeout but coming out of the quick break, Brandeis took back a double-digit lead going up 11 (21-10) courtesy of a 7-0 burst that included five straight points from Alex Zakheim. 
• Although Brandeis held the big lead, Lesley lingered around and was down by as little as eight (30-22) after a Tavon Rhodes (Dorchester, Mass.) layup with 7:20 left in the first. However, the Judges closed out the remainder of the half on a 22-7 run for a 52-29 lead at the half.
• The Judge's hot shooting continued as the second was underway after scoring 32 unanswered points before Malachi Howard (Winter Haven, Fla.) broke up the momentum with a jumper. Unfortunately, Brandeis' defense continued to hold strong the rest of the way and ended up securing the 118-65 win. 

INSIDE THE NUMBERS  

• Howard led all scorers Friday with a season-high 22 points on 9-19 shooting, and he also brought down four rebounds as well. 
• Lesley's other double-digit scorer was Hamilton, who scored 10 points. 
• On the defensive end, Jaxon Miles (Arlington, Texas) paced the squad with six boards. 
• For Brandeis, Deshpande led the Judges with 17 points on 7-10 shooting, and four other Judges also scored in double digits as well including Sam Adusei (13 points), Elias Rodl (12 points), Zakheim (12 points), and Kyle Walters (11 points). 
• Aedan Using was a presence in the paint for Brandeis as the forward swatted away three shots and grabbed five rebounds.
• On the night overall, Brandeis held the advantage in shooting percentage, going 60.3 percent from the field compared to Lesley's 34.7 percent. The Judges also outshot the Lynx from three, 16-33 (48.5 percent) versus 5-22 (22.7 percent). 

UP NEXT

• Lesley continues its road trip when the squad travels to Dean College on Tuesday, November 19, at 6:00 p.m.