After trailing by as many as 26 points in the second half, the Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team trimmed the deficit to five points with just over a minute to play, but the Spartans' comeback attempt ultimately fell short in a 101-93 loss to a hot-shooting Brandeis University team on Friday night at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland.

The loss was the third straight for the Spartans, who dropped to 5-10 overall and 1-3 in the University Athletic Association. The Judges raised their record to 11-5 on the season and 2-2 in league contests.

Senior guard Sam Trunley led all players on Friday night with 31 points on an 11-of-22 shooting effort, including five-of-11 from behind the three-point line. He added a team-leading six rebounds and dished out six assists with two steals in the game. Senior forward Umar Rashid scored 15 of his 18 points in the second half to aid in the comeback, making six-of-13 shots overall and five-of-nine from long range. First-year guard Matthew Ellis finished the game with five points and dished out a career-high seven assists, matching the most in a game by a Spartan player this season.

The Spartans found themselves trailing by 26 points, 72-46, with 13:52 remaining in the game before beginning their comeback attempt. CWRU was able to trim the lead below 20 points for the first time since the opening basket of the second half when a steal and a layup by sophomore forward Elvin Stowell made it an 83-65 game. CWRU cut the lead to 14 points, 89-75, with a three from Rashid with 4:08 to play and a three from Trunley later in the frame made it an 11-point game, 91-80, with 2:49 remaining.

Trunley and Ellis followed with a layup and a three, respectively, to cut the lead down to 91-85 with 2:19 left. A pair of free throws from the Judges increased their lead back to eight, and Brandeis held a seven-point lead with 1:36 left before a jumper from Trunley cut the lead down to five, as close as the Spartans had been since the 15:44 mark in the first half. After the Judges pushed their lead back to eight points, 98-90, Trunley responded with a three with 39 seconds left to make it a five-point game again, but that would prove to be the Spartans' final basket of the game, as Brandeis was able to add on three points in the closing seconds and hold on for the eight-point win.

CWRU's large deficit in the game was the result of the Judges' blistering shooting in the first half, as the team shot 71.9% from the floor and 53.8% from behind the three-point line during the first 20 minutes of action. After a quick offensive start for both teams, the Spartans held a 10-9 lead by the 17:45 mark in the first half, but Brandeis answered with an 11-1 run to take a 20-11 lead with 12:56 on the clock. The Judges continued to add to their lead, going ahead 34-18 by the 8:36 mark and leading by as many as 23 during the period, before taking a 57-35 lead into the break.

CWRU finished the game shooting 50.7% overall (35-69) and 50.0% (17-34) from three-point range, while Brandeis shot 69.1% (38-55) overall and 47.6% (10-21) from long range. The Spartans finished the contest with a 26-10 edge in points off turnovers.

The Spartans will be back in action on Sunday against sixth-ranked New York University at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m.

Spartan Notes

• This was the 10th time this season that Trunley, who entered the game ranked 13th among Division III players in points per game, has led the team in scoring in a game. It was his third game of 30 or more points and his ninth effort of 20 or more points this year.

• CWRU, which entered the game 19th among Division III teams with 10.5 three-point shots made per game, connected on 17 three-pointers on 34 attempts, including 11-of-18 in the second half alone. The 17 made threes were a season-high for the Spartans.

• Friday night's game ended a six-game winning streak for the Spartans against the Judges. CWRU fell to 32-27 all-time against Brandeis with the loss.