WALTHAM, Mass. – The visiting Washington University women's basketball team, ranked ninth in the nation by D3Hoops.com, outscored host Brandeis University 21-1 over the first 5:18 and 30-3 over the first 9:24 as the Bears defeated the Judges, 66-36, in a University Athletic Association contest in Red Auerbach Arena. The Bears improve to 13-3 (4-1 UAA), while the Judges, who lost their second-straight game against a ranked opponent, fall to 9-7 (1-4 UAA).
The Judges hit just two shots over the first nine-plus minutes, going 1-for-10 from the floor and 1-for-2 from the line, while committing seven turnovers. Meanwhile, led by senior Kathryn Berger (Livonia, Mich./Ladywood), WashU scorched the nets to open up their 20-point lead. The Bears connected on seven of their first eight shots, including six of seven from beyond the arc. Berger had five of those seven buckets and four of the trifectas, giving her 14 points just over five minutes into the game, a mark the Judges wouldn't hit until 17 seconds remained in the first half.
After Berger's hot streak subsided, WashU sophomore Kristin Anda (Ridgefield, Conn./Ridgefield) scored 10 points in the next stage of the half, including a jumper at the 10:46 mark that made the game 30-3 in favor of the Bears. The lead extended to as many as 32 points before late hoops by Brandeis's Morgan Kendrew (Cotuit, Mass./Barnstable) and Anda made the score 42-14 at the break. The Judges played improved defense in the second half, but were unable to get anything going on the offensive end, holding the Bears to 24 points and 37 percent shooting after a 53.3 percent performance in the first half.
For the game, Brandeis was led by rookie Julia Scanlon (Long Valley, N.J./West Morris), who had nine points on 4-of-8 from the floor with a 3-pointer. Fourteen of the 15 active players on the Brandeis roster had a rebound, led by four each from Scanlon, senior Mia DePalo (Rumson, N.J/Red Bank Catholic) and rookie Kasey Dean (Southbury, Conn./Pomeraug).
For Washington, Berger finished with 16 points on 6-of-11 shooting from the floor, 4-of-8 from 3-point range. Anda finished with 10 points on 5-of-9 from the field. Junior Dani Hoover (Junction City, Kan./Junction City) and senior Monika Monson (So. Milwaukee, Wis./So. Milwaukee) tied for game-high with four rebounds, while Hoover's older sister Alex led all players with three assists. The Bears had 17 assists on their 26 buckets, with nine different players recording helpers.
Brandeis is next in action next Friday night when they host Emory University in a UAA contest at 6 p.m. The Bears take on Carnegie Mellon University at the same time in St. Louis.