WALTHAM, Mass.- The Brandeis University women's basketball team lost a thriller in a University Athletic Association contest against the University of Rochester at Red Auerbach Arena, 62-61. The Judges drop to 10-8 (2-5 UAA) while the Yellowjackets improve to 11-7 (3-4 UAA).
This was a nail-biter throughout as neither team was able to garner even a double-digit lead. With 6:26 remaining, Brandeis clung to a 55-52 lead but the visitors flipped the script. A 3-pointer, traditional three-point-play, and another trifecta made up a 9-0 surge that gave Rochester a 61-55 lead with 2:56 on the clock.
The Judges fought right back when junior guard Niki Laskaris (Swampscott, Mass./Swampscott) drained a shot from downtown to cut it 61-58 at the 2:39 mark. Over the next two minutes, each team traded stops before Laskaris knocked down another one from beyond the arc to knot it up at 61-61.
A Brandeis foul with 24 ticks left sent rookie forward Alexandra Leslie (Lancaster, Pa./Manheim Township) to the charity stripe. Leslie missed the first but connected on the second to give Rochester back a 62-61 advantage.
Following a timeout, the Judges' sophomore forward Maria Jackson (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) was unable to hit a turn-around elbow jumper and the rebound went to the Yellowjackets with 2.8 on the clock.
Senior guard Blair Landolfi (No. Arlingtonn, N.J./Montclair Kimberley Acad.) stepped to the line and missed the front end of the one-and-one to give Brandeis one last chance.
With the clock reading 1.9 the Judges attempted a hail-mary pass up court that was intercepted by Leslie as time ran out to seal the 62-61 victory for the visitors.
Brandeis was led by Laskaris who netted a game-high 17 points while senior guard Hannah Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) joined her in double-figures with 10. Jackson and sophomore guard Paris Hodges (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) pulled down seven boards apiece while Jackson also led the Judges with three assists.
Rochester had two players in double-figures as Leslie scored 16 to go with a team-high seven rebounds while sophomore guard Brynn Lauer (Newark, N.Y./Newark) added 14 including a game-high four trifectas. Classmate Sarah Kaminsky (Pleasant Valley, N.Y./Arlington) had a game-best four helpers.
The Judges hit the road to face UAA rival Emory on Friday February 6th at 6:00 p.m. The Yellowjackets take on NYU at home.