Brandeis Women's Basketball Falls to Ninth-Ranked Tufts, 67-43

Kasey Dean '14
Kasey Dean '14

WALTHAM, Mass.- In a tough non-conference matchup, the Brandeis University women's basketball team fell to the ninth-ranked Tufts University Jumbos, 67-43. The Judges go to 1-3 on the year while the Jumbos improve to 4-0.

In the first half, Brandeis had an excellent start, jumping out to a 9-2 lead thanks to nine straight points by senior guard Kasey Dean (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) and classmate forward Nicolina Vitale (Clinton Township, Mich./Chippewa Valley) who scored five and four respectively in the run. However, the Jumbos recovered from the early pressure and ripped off the next 13 points, punctuated by a 3-pointer from senior guard Liz Moynihan (Storrs, Ct./E.O. Smith). Despite seven points apiece from Dean and Vitale, the Judges entered the break trailing 35-20.

In the second half, Tufts continued where it left off with a 15-5 spurt that gave them a 25-point cushion with 13:15 remaining. The closest Brandeis would come was on a traditional three-point play by Dean with 6:26 to go to cut the deficit to 59-39.

The Judges were led by a season-high 17 points from Dean while Vitale joined her in double-digits with 11. Dean and Vitale also tied with a squad-high four rebounds. Rookie guard Paris Hodges (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) had a team-high four assists.

The Jumbos were led by junior center Hayley Kanner (Scarsdale, N.Y./Scarsdale) who scored 19 points on 8-for-13 shooting from the field, including two 3-pointers. Kanner also pulled in seven rebounds, had a game-high seven blocks, and added two assists. She was joined in double-figures by junior guard Kelsey Morehead (Foster City, Calif./Pinewood) who had 11 points. Rookie forward Michaela North (Duxbury, Mass./Duxbury) came off the bench to nab a game-high 13 rebounds along with nine points and two blocks.

Brandeis returns to action on Tuesday November 26th on the road against Emmanuel with a 7:00 p.m. tip-off. Tufts heads home for a matchup with Clark (Mass.) on Sunday December 1st at 2:00 p.m.