BRISTOL, R.I. (courtesy Roger Williams Sports information) – Brandeis University notched its third straight win Saturday afternoon with a 57-48 win over the Roger Williams University women's basketball team Saturday afternoon. The Judges overcame a seven-point second-half deficit, ending the game on a 25-9 run to take the victory. The win improves the Judges to 6-4 on the year, while Roger Williams drops its second straight game, falling to 4-2.
The Hawks won the battle of the boards, outrebounding Brandeis 52-40, including grabbing a season-best 28 offensive rebounds. In addition, RWU held the Judges to under 40% shooting in the game. However, the Hawks' offense struggled throughout the game, as Brandeis held Roger Williams to only 23.3% shooting in the contest, the lowest field goal percentage for RWU on the year.
Both teams played close in the first half, with four ties and five lead changes. The Judges held a slim 30-29 lead going to the second half, before the Hawks regained the lead on a layup by Alexandria Lanieri (Port Jefferson, N.Y.) to make it 33-31 with 15:56 to play. Paige Congdon (Westwood, Mass.) would give the Hawks their largest lead of the game at the 12:22 mark, dropping in a layup to put RWU up 39-32.
Brandeis would climb back into the game, eventually going back up by one on a three-point play by senior guard Morgan Kendrew (Cotuit, Mass./Barnstable) to give the Judges a 41-40 lead with 8:18 left. That would spark a 12-3 run for the Judges to give them a seven-point advantage with just over four minutes to play. The Hawks offensive woes continued at the end of the game, as RWU went 2-of-10 over the remainder of play as Brandeis held on for the win.
Rookie Hannah Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) led all scorers with 15 points, establishing a new career-high, while also tying her collegiate best with seven rebounds. Graduate student Diana Cincotta (Plymouth, Mass./W. Boylston) added 13 points, while junior Courtney Ness (Norwich, Vt./Hanover, N.H.) finished with nine points, nine rebounds, three blocks, and three steals. Ness's three blocked shots were part of 11 on the day for the Judges, their most in a game since at least 2004.
Lanieri, Ryan Weekes, and Lisa Lutz (Downers Grove, Ill.) each scored eight points for the Hawks. Kaitlyn Bovee (Berlin, Conn.) added six points and six rebounds, while Congdon added four points and nine boards off the bench.
With finals looming, Brandeis is off until they host Husson at 1:00 p.m. on New Year's Eve. Roger Williams ends the semester on Tuesday with a 7:00 p.m. home contest against Connecticut College.