Women's hoops tops Mitchell, 67-46, for first win of season

Hannah Nicholson '20 (photo by Dean Reid, D3photography)
Hannah Nicholson '20 (photo by Dean Reid, D3photography)

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team rode a big second quarter tonight to defeat Mitchell College, 67-46, in the opening round of the Brandeis Invitational. The Judges improve to 1-1 on the season and will meet Eastern Nazarene tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the championship game. The Mariners fall to 0-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED

  • The Judges owned a 15-9 lead after one period as seven different players hit field goals.
  • In the crucial second quarter, Brandeis outscored Mitchell, 23-11. The hosts outshot the Mariners, 53% (10-19) to 18% (2-11) and outrebounded them, 10-7.
  • Brandeis did just enough in the second half to keep Mitchell at bay, outscoring the visitors, 29-26, after the intermission.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

  • The Judges used a stifling defense that converted 28 Mariner turnovers into 31 points, while Mitchell scored just four points of the 17 Brandeis miscues.
  • Brandeis also outrebounded Mitchell, 48-40, including a whopping 21-10 on the offensive glass. That advantage translated into an 18-3 margin in second-chance points.

BRANDEIS LEADERS

  • The Judges put three players in double digits in scoring.
  • Sophomore Hannah Nicholson (Sunderland, Vt. / Burr and Burton Acad.) recorded her first career double-double with career-highs of 12 points and 11 rebounds. Five of her 11 boards came on the offensive glass.
  • Rookie Camila Casanueva (Santa Barbara, Calif. / Dos Pueblos) also netted 12 points off the bench. She hit 4-of-7 overall and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc with a free throw. She also led Brandeis with three assists.
  • Rookie Jillian Petrie (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) reached double digits for the second time in as many games with 10 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the field and 2-of-5 from the line. Petrie also tied for game-high honors with senior Eva Hart (Manasquan, N.J. / Manasquan) with four steals.

MITCHELL LEADERS

  • Sophomore guard Allegra Jones (New Haven, Conn./Hillhouse) was the only Mariner to reach double digits in scoring 10 points. She needed 4-of-14 shooting with a pair of 3-pointers to get there.
  • Classmate Ariana Carter (Central Falls, R.I./Blackstone Academy) led the visitors with seven rebounds (three offensive).
  • Two Mariners had two assists each, sophomore guard Jessica Lohneiss (West Hartford, Conn./Conard) and sophomore guard Camille Staggers (New Haven, Conn./Hillhouse).

SEMIFINAL #2

  • In the other game this evening, Eastern Nazarene outlasted Western Connecticut State, 102-94, behind the outstanding play of sisters Kayla and Tia Torio (Manteca, calif./Venture Academy), who combined for 47 points, 20 rebounds and 13 assists while missing just four shots from the field.
  • Senior Kayla led the Lions in scoring with 26 points on 11-of-12 from the field, 1-of-2 from downtown and 3-of-4 from the line. She also had eight rebounds and four assists.
  • Junior Tia finished just one assist shy of a triple double with 21 points and game-highs of 12 rebounds and nine assists. She also had three steals.
  • Four other Lions had double digits in scoring, while four total finished with seven or more rebounds.
  • The Lions' performance offset a game-high 33 points from WCSU junior Jancy Sherwood (Poughquag, N.Y./Arlington). Sherwood hit 12-of-21 from the field, 7-of-12 from downtown and 2-of-4 from the line.
  • The Colonials' pressure forced 40 ENC turnovers, but the Lions did what they had to shooting (57.1%, 40-70) and on the glass (58-44 advantage) to offset the miscues.

UP NEXT

  • Mitchell and Western Connecticut will meet tomorrow at noon, while Brandeis and ENC face off at 2 p.m.