NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Brandeis women's basketball team closed its 2014-15 regular season against a second-straight nationally-ranked squad today as the Judges met rivals #19 New York University in New York. The teams were even for the first half and the early stages of the second before a 10-2 run by the Violets put the game away midway through the second as the hosts earned a 71-62 win.
The game featured nine ties and 14 lead changes, most of which – eight and 13, respectively - came in the first half. Brandeis's largest lead of the game came with 4:20 left in the first stanza, following two Hannah Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) free throws that made it 29-23. The Violets rallied to take a 33-32 lead with 1:05 left before a wild final 60 seconds.
Judge junior guard Heather Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) was fouled after hitting a 3-pointer with 44 ticks remaining. After she converted the free throw, it was 36-33, in favor of the Judges. After an NYU turnover, Cain tried to double the lead from deep with four seconds remaining. The rebound landed out of bounds, and on the ensuing play, NYU senior Melissa Peng hit a heave from just over half court to send the game into the locker room tied at 36.
Heather Cain had 11 points and sophomore guard Frankie Pinto (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) had eight as the two combined to hit 4-of-6 from downtown in the first half. Kaitlyn Read of NYU led all players with 12 points at the break.
Read opened the second half with a free throw, while Hannah Cain answered with a jumper and two foul shots to give Brandeis a 40-37 lead 2:45 in. A 7-1 run put the Violets ahead 44-41 after Maya Wasowicz hit a 3-pointer and jumper on back-to-back possessions. Hannah Cain connected twice from the line and Heather dialed long distance around an NYU hoop, with the trifecta at the 12:28 mark tying the game at 46-46.
At that point, NYU went on the key run, allowing just one Brandeis bucket over the next five minutes. The Violets scored the next four points at the line, then the teams traded lay-ups. On the last, the hosts' Megan Dawe also drew a foul and converted the three-point play to make it a 53-48 lead in favor of NYU. The Judges had four opportunities to cut into the lead, but could not convert before Peng nailed another key trifecta, making it an eight-point game, 56-48, at the 8:29 mark. The Judges were unable to get closer than six points the rest of the way.
In their final regular-season game playing together, Hannah and Heather Cain combined for 27 points, 12 rebounds and six assists. Heather tied for game-high honors with 17 points and grabbed five boards, while Hannah had 10 points and led the Judges with seven rebounds. They also led Brandeis with three assists each. Sophomore forward Maria Jackson (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) had a fine all-around game with nine points, five rebounds, two blocked shots, two steals and an assist.
NYU put four players in double figures. Peng matched Heather Cain with 17 points in her final regular-season contest. She hit 3-of-3 overall, 2-of-2 from deep, and was 9-of-10 from the line. Peng also led the Violets with four assists. Read finished with a double-double of 13 points and a game-high 11 rebounds. Wasowicz's 16 points came off the bench, while Megan Dawe had 10 points.
NYU outshot Brandeis, 43% (21-49) to 32% (18-57) for the game, including 41% (9-22) to 25% (8-32) in the second half.
With the loss, Brandeis ends its regular season with a 13-12 record, 5-9 in the University Athletic Association. They will await a possible ECAC Division III New England bid on Monday. NYU, at 21-4, 10-4 UAA, will be looking for a berth in the NCAAs.