WALTHAM, Mass. – Four Brandeis University women's
basketball starters scored in double figures today as the host
Judges defeated visiting Washington (Mo.) University, 66-48, in a
University Athletic Association (UAA) match-up in Red Auerbach
Arena today. Brandeis outscored the Bears, 43-23, in the second
half en route to their first home win against WashU since 1997.
Brandeis (12-4, 3-2 UAA) got the second double-double performance
of the season from senior Jaime Capra (Old Bridge, N.J.), who tied
for game-high honors with 14 points and led all players with a
career-best 15 rebounds. After a tough first half in which she
missed all five field-goal attempts and four of her six free
throws, Capra rebounded to hit two-of-six from the field and
nine-of-10 from the line for 12 second-half points. Sophomore guard
Jessica Chapin (Mendon, N.Y.) matched Capra with 14 points, nine
coming in the second half. Junior forward Lauren Orlando (Peabody,
Mass.) scored 11 of her 13 points after the break, while classmate
Cassidy Dadaos (Healdsburg, Calif.) tallied 10 points and led all
players with a career-best six assists. In their big second half,
Brandeis outshot Washington, 48 percent to 24 percent, connected on
78 percent from the line, and outrebounded the Bears, 28-15.
Washington (12-4, 4-1) suffered its first UAA loss of the season
after shooting a season-low 25 percent from the floor for the game
(17-67) and scored a season-low 48 points. The Bears entered the
game averaging 70.8 points per game. WashU was paced by 12 points
off the bench by junior guard Halsey Ward (Little Rock, Ark.),
while classmate Jill Brandt (St. Louis, Mo.) had 11, 10 of which
came in the second half. Rookie forward Kathryn Berger (Livonia,
Mich.) led the Bears with 11 rebounds.
The game got off to a rocky start for the Judges, as WashU took a
17-6 lead after 11 minutes were gone thanks to a pair of Shanna-Lei
Dacanay (Honolulu, Hawaii) free throws. The Judges answered by
scoring 15 of the next 17, taking their first lead of the contest
on a Dadaos trifecta with 3:21 left in the half. Berger answered
with a traditional three-point play to put the visitors back on
top, and sophomore Zoe Unruh's (San Francisco, Calif.) bucket with
46 second left gave the Bears a 25-23 lead headed into the locker
room. WashU sophomore Janice Evans (Bolingbrook, Ill.) led all
players with eight first-half points, though the Judges held her
off the board the rest of the way.
After Brandeis took a brief 29-27 lead on an Orlando lay-up with
16:39 left, WashU answered with a 9-2 run over the next three
minutes. The Bears went ahead, 36-31, on a pair of Ward free throws
with 13:39 left. The Judges then scored 15 unanswered points over
the next five minutes, seven coming from Chapin and another four by
sophomore Lauren Rashford (Whitesboro, N.Y.), to take a 46-36 lead.
Brandeis continued its tough defense to win the contest going away,
as their 18-point final margin of victory was the largest lead of
the game.