Men's basketball team off to historic start

At 11-0, Judges break school record for longest winning streak

Thanks to an improbable comeback, the men's basketball team is off to the best start in Brandeis history.

After a 53-50 win at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine, on Jan. 11, the Judges are 11-0. With the win, the Judges surpassed the 1956-1957 squad for the longest winning streak to start the season.

Before breaking the record on Tuesday, Brandeis tied the mark at 10-0 with a remarkable 61-59 win over University Athletic Association (UAA) rival New York University on Jan. 8. The Judges trailed by 18 points with 10:50 remaining in the contest before closing on a 23-3 run. A pair of rookies helped key the comeback. Guard Ruben Kanya of Ottawa, Ontario, scored nine of his career-high 11 points in the final 10 minutes to cut into the Violets' lead, but it was classmate Derek Retos of North Attleboro, Mass., who saved the day. With 2.1 seconds left, junior Tyrone Hughes of Dorchester, Mass., inbounded the ball from in front of the Brandeis bench to Retos. The rookie guard launched a 3-pointer from the corner that went through the net as time expired, giving Brandeis its only lead of the game. Retos finished with a team-high 14 points on that day.

The Judges head to Pittsburgh and Cleveland this weekend for UAA games against Carnegie Mellon University (Friday, Jan. 14, at 8 p.m.) and Case Western Reserve University (Sunday, Jan. 16, at noon). They return home for more UAA action on Friday, Jan. 21, at 8 p.m. against the University of Chicago and Sunday, Jan. 23, at 11:30 a.m. against defending conference champions Washington University. Links for viewing or listening to upcoming games on-line can be accessed from the team's schedule.