WALTHAM, Mass. – The Kenyon College women's basketball
team got some big shots down the stretch today as the visiting
Ladies upset No. 14-ranked Brandeis University, 67-62, in the
Brandeis Tip-Off Tournament. Wesleyan University topped Mount
Holyoke College, 73-37, in the consolation game.
Kenyon (2-0) led for nearly all of the first half and took a 33-25
advantage into the locker room thanks to 15 points from senior Anne
Dugan (Dublin, Ohio). The Ladies outshot Brandeis, 49 percent
(13-29) to 27 percent (7-26), and committed just two turnovers.
They also had 11 assists on their 13 buckets.
Brandeis (1-1) chipped away in the second stanza, eventually
reclaiming the lead with 9:14 left in regulation on a lay-up by
junior forward Lauren Orlando (Peabody, Mass.). Another Orlando
bucket at the 7:19 mark gave the Judges a three-point lead, but
Dugan's fourth trifecta as time expired knotted the game at
49-49.
After a free thrown by Brandeis senior Jaime Capra (Old Bridge,
N.J.) and a put-back by Dugan, the Ladies led, 51-50. The Judges
answered with a trifecta from the corner by senior guard Kiersten
Holgash (Easton, Pa.) as the shot clock expired. There were three
more ties over the next three minutes before a key exchange.
With Brandeis ahead by two after an Orlando put-back, Kenyon rookie
Kathleen Williams (Pickerington, Ohio) hit the first of two free
throws. She missed the second, but senior Eva George (Lincoln,
Mass.) got the rebound and found classmate Alisha Moreno (Mesa,
Ariz.) at the top of the key, where she drained a long 3-pointer.
The four-point possession gave KC a 61-59 lead they would not
relinquish, but Brandeis made it interesting after George hit two
free throws with 1:11 on the clock.
Capra answered with a traditional three-point play, narrowing the
lead to 63-62. The Judges looked to have gotten a stop on the
ensuing possession by forcing a five-second call, but the officials
ruled that Kenyon called a time-out first. The Ladies made the most
of the opportunity, as George hit a running lay-up as the
shot-clock expired and 21 seconds remained on the play clock.
Brandeis used up three timeouts getting the ensuing possession
in-bounds, but Capra's 3-point attempt was errant. Dugan pulled
down the rebound and hit the ensuing free-throws for the winning
margin, 67-62.
Dugan went on to lead all players with 26 points on 10-of-17
shooting, including four-of-eight from beyond the arc. She also hit
both her free throw attempts. George finished with 10 points, while
Moreno and senior guard Hilary Gowins (Delaware, Ohio) had nine
each. Gowins led all players with five assists, while rookie
Kathleen Williams (Pickerington, Ohio) topped the Ladies with six
rebounds off the bench.
Brandeis, which suffered its first regular-season non-conference
loss since 2003, was placed by 18 points from Orlando. She hit
seven-of-12 shots, including a trifecta, and three-of-four from the
line. Capra finished with nine points and 11 rebounds to lead all
players. She needs just three points to become the eighth
1,000-point scorer in school history. Holgash led Brandeis with
four assists.
Moreno of Kenyon was named tournament MVP. The rest of the
all-tournament team consisted of Orlando and sophomore guard Jess
Chapin (Mendon, N.Y.) of Brandeis, Dugan of Kenyon, Forney of
Wesleyan and Olson of Mount Holyoke.