WALTHAM, Mass.- The Brandeis University women's basketball team cruised to victory over Salve Regina University in the championship game of the 2014 Brandeis Tip-Off Tournament behind a career-high 23 points from sophomore guard Frankie Pinto (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente). The Judges improved to 2-0 on the season while the Seahawks fell to 1-1.
In the first four minutes, both teams struggled offensively as neither team hit a field goal until a lay-up by sophomore forward Maria Jackson (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) at the 16:02 mark made it 2-2. Trailing 4-3 early, Brandeis went on a decisive 24-4 run to build a 27-8 advantage with 5:30 remaining in the half. A Salve Regina timeout attempted to stop the bleeding but the Judges continued to grow their lead, heading into the break ahead 43-16 behind 11 points from Pinto.
The second half was more of the same as Brandeis continued to dominate the visitors and saw their advantage balloon to the final margin of 77-39. The Judges forced 25 turnovers, outrebounded the Seahawks 52-35 (20-8 on the offensive glass), and hit seven trifectas to an 0-for-13 afternoon for Salve Regina from downtown.
Pinto led four Judges in double-figures with 23 points on 8-for-12 shooting including 4-for-7 from beyond the arc. Senior guard Hannah Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) contributed a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds while adding four assists. Jackson and junior guard Heather Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) each had 10 points while Jackson pulled down seven boards. Sophomore guard Kyla Gabriel (Tivoli, N.Y./Red Hook) had a great all-around game by leading the team with five assists, scoring seven points, corralling seven caroms, and nabbing one steal.
The Seahawks were led by junior guard Meaghan Harden (Sandwich, Mass./Sandwich) who netted 14 points to go with five boards and three assists.
Earlier in the day, Mount Ida College took on Regis College in the consolation game. The Pride used a big second half to pull away from the Mustangs and win 67-47. Regis improves to 1-1 on the season while Mount Ida falls to 0-2.
A close first half saw the Pride take a 25-20 lead into the locker room while the start of the second half saw the Mustangs inch closer. A jumper by rookie guard Shanell Nardone (Tewksbury, Mass./Shawsheen Valley Tech) cut the Regis lead to 29-28 with 17:05 remaining in the contest. The Pride responded quickly and tore off a 12-0 run that would put away Mount Ida.
The Mustangs were able to pull within eight after a trifecta by sophomore guard Katlyn Jesse (Marshfield, Mass./Marshfield) and free throw from classmate center Angelique Martinez (Taunton, Mass./Taunton) made it 52-44 with 7:08 on the clock. However, that was as close as they would get as Regis closed the game on a 15-3 spurt to win 67-47.
The Pride put three players in double-figures led by sophomore forward Amanda Hawkesworh (Abington, Mass./Abington) who poured in 25 points and grabbed 12 boards. Rookie forward Brittany Stone (W. Bridgewater, Mass./W. Bridgewater) also had a double-double with 14 points and 11 caroms. Rounding out the scorers was senior guard Emilee Marro (Bedford, N.H./Trinity) who added 11 points.
Sophomore guard Stephanie Champoux (Tewksbury, Mass./Shawsheen Valley Tech) led Mount Ida with 10 points while Martinez pulled down a team-high 12 rebounds.
The All-Tournament Team featured Stephanie Champoux from Mount Ida, Amanda Hawkesworth from Regis, and Meaghan Harden from Salve Regina with Frankie Pinto and Hannah Cain from Brandeis. The tournament's Most Valuable Player was Maria Jackson from Brandeis.
The Judges are back in action on Wednesday November 19th with a 6:00 p.m. game at Roger Williams.