Cain, Brandeis women dominate boards to defeat Husson, 77-45

Hannah Cain '15 (photo by Sportspix/Mike Tureski)
Hannah Cain '15 (photo by Sportspix/Mike Tureski)

WALTHAM, Mass. – Thanks to a near triple-double by rookie guard Hannah Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) and more than a two-to-one advantage (57-25) on the boards, the Brandeis University women's basketball team defeated visiting Husson University, 77-45, today in Red Auerbach Arena. With the win, the Judges close out the non-conference portion of their schedule with a 7-4 record, while the Eagles fall to 3-5 on the campaign.

Brandeis put three starters in double figures, but it was Cain's all-around excellence that stole the show. She scored 11 points and established game- and career-highs with 12 rebounds and seven assists, falling just three helpers short of a triple-double. The double-double performance was Brandeis's second of the season. Cain helped the Judges to a 39-28 lead in the first half with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists in 17 minutes.

The Judges' leading scorer on the day was senior guard Morgan Kendrew (Cotuit, Mass./Barnstable), who finished with 13 points, a season-high, on 5-of-15 shooting. Backcourt mate and graduate student Diana Cincotta (Plymouth, Mass./W. Boylston) scored all 12 of her points on four first-half 3-pointers. She now has 84 career 3-pointers, tying her for eighth on the Judges' career list.

Brandeis got scoring contributions from 11 different players, while 12 Judges got in on the rebounding act. They were especially outstanding on their own end, grabbing 26 offensive rebounds to 25 total caroms for Husson (seven offensive, 18 defensive). In addition to Cain's big performance, junior center Samantha Anderson (Johnsonville, N.Y./Hoosic Valley) had eight boards to go with eight points, while sophomore Kasey Dean (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) had six points and six rebounds off the bench. Junior reserve forward Angie Miller (Sickerville, N.J./Timber Creek) had a productive six minutes off the bench, with six points and four rebounds, including three offensive, all of which were career-highs. The Judges converted their 26-7 edge in offensive rebounds into a whopping 32-3 advantage in second-chance points.

For Husson, senior forward Brianna Hanscom (Mattawamkeag, Maine/Mattanawcook Acad.) led all players with 16 points and had a team-high nine rebounds, four offensive. Hanscom had 12 of her points in the first half, when she hit 5-of-7 from the field and 2-of-4 from the line, but the Judges limited her to just four second-half free throws and 0-for-4 from the floor. Eagle sophomore guard Vanessa Sanderson (Houlton, Maine/Houlton) added eight points off the bench thanks to 3-for-4 shooting and a pair of 3-pointers, but no other Husson player had more than two field goals or five points. After shooting 48 percent (12-25) in the first half to keep the game close, the Eagles were just 4-of-26 in the second half (15.4 percent) in the second.

Brandeis returns to action in the new year when they open up UAA play at rival NYU on January 7 at 2 p.m. Husson plays host to the University of Southern Maine on Tuesday, Jan. 3 at 6 p.m.