Women's hoops bounces back with 72-63 win over Case

WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis University senior captain Jaime Capra (Old Bridge, N.J.) had a fine all-around contest, leading all players with 20 points, nine rebounds and six assists today as the host Judges defeated visiting Case Western Reserve University, 72-63, in a University Athletic Association (UAA) contest in Red Auerbach Arena today.

Brandeis (15-5, 6-3 UAA) bounced back from a tough loss to Emory on Friday night by leading for nearly the entire game. Case Western Reserve (11-9, 4-5 UAA) opened the scoring on a steal and lay-up by sophomore guard Ashleigh Tondo (McDonald, Ohio) on their third possession. The Judges took the lead after a Capra free throw and a lay-up by junior forward Lauren Orlando (Peabody, Mass.) and never gave it back. After the Spartans tied the game at five on an Ashley Horton (Akron, Ohio) trifecta, Brandeis scored the next seven points to take a 12-5 lead after five minutes. The hosts led by as many as 11 points in the first half, 29-18, with 4:48 remaining, but Case scored the final five points of the stanza to cut the lead to 29-23 at the break. Capra led all players with 12 first-half points. The Judges outrebounded Case, 21-13, scoring seven second-chance points.

In the second half, Case opened on a 9-5 run to cut the lead to two at 34-32 on a 3-pointer by junior Colleen Martin (Rocky River, Ohio). After getting a stop, Case had a chance to tie the game from the line at the 15:04 mark, but missed both free throws. The empty possession sparked the Judges, who went on a 23-5 run over the next eight minutes. A Capra free throw capped the run to give Brandeis a 57-37 lead with 6:53 on the clock, as Brandeis got six points form sophomore Kasey Gieschen (Boonton Township, N.J.) in the run. The lead was 21 after a traditional three-point play by junior Cassidy Dadaos (Healdsburg, Calif.) with 4:24 remaining, but the Spartans ended the game on a 20-9 run to cut the final margin to nine points, 72-63.

Capra's 20 points give her 1276 for her career, moving her with five points of fourth on Brandeis's career scoring list, while her nine rebounds moved her into seventh place with 518 for her career. No other Brandeis player scored in double figures. Sophomore Lauren Rashford (Whitesboro, N.Y.) had nine points and four assists off the bench, while Gieschen's eight points marked a career-high. Classmate Jessica Chapin (Mendon, N.Y.) also finished with eight points and had seven rebounds. Brandeis shot 42% for the game (25-60), including 50% from 3-point range (7-14) and 48% in the second half (13-27). They outrebounded Case by a 42-34 margin as well.

The Spartans were paced by Tondo, who matched Capra with a game-high 20 points on seven-of-16 shooting from the floor, three-of-eight from beyond the arc and three-of-three from the line. Horton finished with 13 points on five-of-eight from the floor and led Case with eight rebounds. Off the bench, Henry had nine points a team-high five assists.