WALTHAM, Mass. – Junior forward Caitlin Malcolm (Windsor
Locks, Conn.) had 24 points and 14 rebounds for her eighth
double-double of the season to lead the Brandeis University women's
basketball team past the visiting University of Chicago Maroons,
65-62, in University Athletic Association (UAA) play in Auerbach
Arena today.
Brandeis (18-4, 9-4 UAA) raced out to a 15-5 lead over the first
eight minutes of action and extended the lead to 15 points by
halftime, 34-19. Malcolm reached the double-double mark by the
intermission with 11 points and 10 rebounds in the first half to
lead all players.
Chicago (15-9, 6-7 UAA) rallied in the second half by improving
their shooting significantly. After hitting just seven-of-29 in the
first half (24.1%), the Maroons hit 12 of their 18 to open the
second and went on to hit 51.9 percent after the break (14-27). The
improvement included four-of-six from 3-point range after missing
all five from beyond the arc in the first half. Trailing 46-36 with
12:39 on the clock, UC scored 10 of the next 11 points in a
three-minute span to climb within one on a jumper by senior forward
Susie Gutowski (Northampton, Mass.).
The Judges pushed the lead back to four, but a pair of free throws
by sophomore Nofi Mojidi (Silver Spring, Md.) tied the game at
54-54 at the 4:20 mark for the first time since it was 4-4. Malcolm
answered with the game's next four buckets, while Chicago hit a
pair of foul shots, giving Brandeis a 60-56 lead with 2:15 to play.
Gutowski answered with a nice leaning jumper and two more free
throws, knotting the game again at 60-60 with 1:44 remaining.
Brandeis got the key bucket of the game on the ensuing possession,
as junior guard Alison Chase (Farmington, Conn.) found a wide-open
Jaime Capra (Old Bridge, N.J.) in the corner to bury a 3-pointer.
Maroon junior Korry Schwanz (Menominee, Mich.) answered with a pair
of free throws after pulling down an offensive rebound with 1:11 on
the clock, but a pair of offensive rebounds meant the Judges were
able to work nearly a minute off the clock before Chase hit two
from the line for the game's final points. UC got off a couple of
shots in the final 16 seconds, but Brandeis defenders were able to
block both to secure the win.
Malcolm scored more than 20 points in a game for the sixth time
this season and moved into fourth on the University's career
scoring list with her 11-for-19 performance today. Her 14 rebounds
marked the eighth time she grabbed 10 or more caroms in a game this
season. Also reaching double figures in scoring for the Judges was
Capra with 11 points, including both of her 3-point attempts, and
senior Christine Clancy (Yarmouth, Maine) who had 10 points.
Chicago was led by Schwanz, who had 17 points and a team-high seven
rebounds. Mojidi added 15 points and a game-high five steals, while
Gutowski had 11 points and three boards.