WALTHAM, Mass. – The Emmanuel College men's basketball team dropped a competitive road contest to Brandeis University, 61-53, on Saturday afternoon at Red Auerbach Arena. The loss moves the Saints to 4-4 on the season. Emmanuel held a slim 27-24 advantage at halftime, but Brandeis (4-4) came out strong in the second half, outscoring the Saints 37-26 to secure the victory. The Judges shot nearly 50 percent from the field in the final period (48.15%) compared to just 30 percent in the first half.
Junior forward Mahari Guerrier paced Emmanuel with 15 points and a game-high 14 rebounds for his fourth double-double of the season. Guerrier was efficient from the floor, connecting on 7-of-16 attempts while adding three assists and a steal in 33 minutes of action.
Noah Beaudet provided a spark from beyond the arc, finishing with 11 points on 3-of-6 shooting from three-point range. The junior guard knocked down a trio of second-half triples to help keep the Saints within striking distance. Cameron Snowden contributed nine points off the bench, while Aidan Oliveira chipped in six points and seven rebounds. Connor Hanavan added five points in 13 minutes of reserve duty.
The game featured nine lead changes and was tied once, indicative of the competitive nature throughout. Emmanuel jumped out to a 3-0 lead on a three-pointer by Danny Adams and led 27-24 at the break after Guerrier's putback in the closing seconds of the first half.
The Saints briefly extended their lead to four points early in the second half (30-26), but Brandeis responded with a decisive run. The Judges took their first lead of the second half at 31-30 and never trailed again, building their advantage to as many as 10 points down the stretch.
Emmanuel struggled from the free-throw line, converting just 4-of-11 attempts (36.4%), while Brandeis was stellar at the stripe, hitting 13-of-17 (76.5%). The Saints were also outrebounded 42-34.
Emmanuel shot 35.0 percent from the field (21-60) and 35.0 percent from three-point range (7-20). The Saints were outscored 28-24 in points in the paint and managed just four second-chance points compared to Brandeis' seven. Elias Rodl led all scorers with 20 points for the Judges, while Alex Zakheim added 13 points in the winning effort.
Up Next
The Saints return to action as they continue their non-conference road schedule. Emmanuel will look to bounce back on Monday at Fitchburg State at 5:00 p.m..