ATLANTA, Ga. - The Brandeis women's basketball team avenged one of their University Athletic Association losses from earlier in the season today, as junior forward Amber Strodthoff (DePere, Wisc./DePere) had her fourth double-double of the season to lead the Judges past Emory University, 58-38. Brandeis improves to 15-8, 8-5 in the UAA with the win, exceeding their conference win total from 2008-09. Emory, which scored 35 fewer points than the first meeting between the two teams, falls to 10-14, 3-10 in the UAA.
Strodhoff led the way for the Judges with 16 points and a career-high 17 rebounds. She reached double-double status by halftime, with 10 points and 10 boards in the first 20 minutes. Strodhoff connected on 6-of-8 from the field and 4-of-5 from the line. She also matched career-bests with two blocked shots and two steals. Strodthoff's 17 rebounds were just seven fewer than the entire Emory team, as she led the Judges to a 44-24 rebounding advantage, the team's largest of the season.
Brandeis put two other players in double figures, as guards Jessica Chapin (Mendon, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) and Morgan Kendrew (Cotuit, Mass./Barnstable) scored 10 each. Though Chapin was held seven points below her league-leading season average, she dished a game-high five assists. Kendrew and rookie reserve forward Shannon Ingram (Floral Park, N.Y./Floral Park Memorial) tied for game-high honors with three steals each. The Brandeis defense was excellent, holding Emory to its lowest scoring total and their third-worst shooting percentage of the campaign (27.3%, 15-55).
The Eagles were led by senior Whitney Martin, who had eight points, five rebounds, two blocks and three steals, all game- or team-highs. Danielle Landry also contributed five boards for Emory, while Melissa Koike matched Martin with three assists and three steals. EU hit just five of its 22 3-point attempts and just 3-of-7 from the line.
Brandeis forced Emory to miss 12 of its first 13 shots from the field as the Judges opened a 13-2 lead on a pair of Chapin free throws 7:29 into the contest. Strodthoff had four points, while junior Diana Cincotta (Plymouth, Mass./W. Boylston) had five, in the opening surge. Emory found its range, connecting on three of their five trifectas in the next three-and-a-half minutes, with Becca Feldman's hoop from deep on a steal and outlet from Koike tying the game at 15-15 with nine minutes remaining. At that point, the Brandeis defense clamped down again, outscoring the Eagles, 13-4, the rest of the way, Two Strodthoff foul shots with 1:04 left gave her the first-half double-double and established a 28-19 lead for the visitors at the break.
Kendrew opened the second half with a lay-up, but Koike answered with a lay-up and a 3-pointer to get the hosts within six, 30-24, with just under two minutes gone in the second. Strodthoff answered with a lay-up on a feed from senior forward Kasey Gieschen (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes), and the Judges pushed the lead back to double figures at 37-25 with 14:19 left on a fast-break bomb by senior Lauren Rashford (Whitesboro, N.Y../Whitesboro). Emory got no closed than nine points the rest of the way, with the Judges scoring 13 unanswered points at one stretch to take their biggest lead of the game at 23 with 94 seconds left in the contest.
Brandeis wraps up the regular season next weekend at 1 p.m. when they host rival NYU in the final schedule home appearance for seniors Chapin, Gieschen, Rashford and Carmela Breslin (McKees Rocks, Pa./Oakland Catholic.)