WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team suffered a 70-40 loss at the hands of visiting Emory University in University Athletic Association (UAA) action today. The Eagles connected on 13 3-pointers, a season-high in the UAA, while holding the Judges to just 13 total field goals.
Brandeis (7-7, 0-3 UAA) was paced by senior guard Morgan Kendrew (Cotuit, Mass./Barnstable), who got off to a fast start by scoring 11 of her team's 16 points in the first five minutes of the game. Rookie guard Hannah Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) finished with eight points, while sophomore reserve Kasey Dean (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) had seven, and both tied for game-high honors with nine rebounds. Dean also had three steals, while senior Kelly Ethier (Springfield, Mass./Minnechaug Regional) and grad student Diana Cincotta (W. Boylston, Mass./W. Boylston) had three assists apiece.
Emory (11-3, 2-1 UAA) put three players in double figures. Sophomore guard Hannah Lilly (Mercer Island, Wash./Mercer Island) led all players with 23 points. Lilly hit 8-of-16 overall, 5-of-12 from downtown and 2-of-4 from the line. She was on fire from the field in the first half, when she scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, including 4-of-7 from beyond the arc.
Classmate Savannah Morgan (San Jose, Calif./Presentation) had a fine all-around game for the Eagles, scoring 14 points – nine in the second half – and leading all players with six assists and five steals. Senior forward Emily Hyncik (Skillman, N.J./Peddie School) came off the bench to hit 4-of-6 from downtown, including all three attempts in the second half, to finish with 12 points.
Senior guard Melissa Koike (San Francisco, Calif./Sacred Heart Cathedral) and junior center Danielle Landry (Vienna, Va./James Madison) each had seven rebounds to lead the visitors, who owned a 43-41 edge on the glass.
The Judges started the game on a hot streak, hitting 7 of their first 12 shots to take a 20-15 lead with 13:41 left in the first half. Unfortunately, they went just 1-of-16 for the rest of the first half and connected on just 5-of-22 in the second (22.7%).
Meanwhile, the Eagles, who rank third in Division III in 3-point percentage (38.3%) and 36th in 3-pointers per game (6.4) entering the weekend, connected on 13-of-34 from downtown, doubling their season average in 3s made and shooting just a tick below their percentage (38.2%). The Eagles were also able to take advantage of a 2-to-1 turnover edge (28-14), converting it into a 26-5 advantage in points off turnovers.
Brandeis heads on the road next weekend for their Midwest UAA trip, taking on eighth-ranked Washington University in St. Louis next Friday at 7 p.m. Eastern/6 Central and No. 2 Chicago next Sunday at 3 p.m. Eastern/2 Central.