Women drop non-conference finale to Regis, 62-57

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team dropped its non-conference finale today, as the Judges suffered a 62-57 defeat to local foes Regis College. The Judges fall to 4-6 on the season, while the Pride win their second-straight to improve to 3-7.

VIDEO HIGHLIGHTS

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Regis used timely 3-point shooting and turnovers to defeat the Judges.
• The Pride connected on 10 3-pointers, compared to just six for the Judges. They also outscored Brandeis, 19-8, in points off turnovers, after forcing 23 miscues while committing just 10.
• In a tight first period, Regis took a 10-9 lead with a late 3-pointer by senior Maura Russell (Braintree, Mass./Braintree).
• The visitors scored 12 of their 16 points in the second period from behind the arc as they took a 26-19 lead into the locker room.
• Brandeis battled back in the third quarter, opening on an 11-2 run over the first 2:45. The Judges went ahead on a Kat Puda (Whitinsville, Mass./Worcester Academy) 3-pointer that made it 30-28.
• Regis tied the game on a layup by Nikki Bitinaitis (Cromwell, Conn./Cromwell), and after several empty possessions on both sides, Russell hit back-to-back trifectas in an 18-second span to give the Pride the lead for good at 36-30 midway through the third.
• Regis led by as many as 10 points in the fourth period. Brandeis got within three on a lay-up by junior Hannah Nicholson (Sunderland, Vt./Burr and Burton Academy) with 1:17 to go, and again on a Lauren Rubinstein (Southbury, Conn./Pomperaug) deep ball with 10 seconds to go, but the Judges couldn't complete the comeback.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Brandeis was led by Puda, who scored 15 points on 5-of-14 shooting from the floor, 2-of-9 from downtown, and 3-of-3 from the line.
• Sophomore Camila Casanueva (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos) added nine points and a game- and season-high six assists.
• Nicholson led all players with eight rebounds to go with eight points. The Judges dominated the boards, 49-27, including 17-7 on the offensive glass that led to a 19-5 edge in second-chance points.
• Russell led all players with 17 points, 11 coming in the first half. She hit 6-of-13 overall, 5-of-11 from deep.
• Junior Valerie Martin added 16 points and five rebounds, while Bitinaitis had 13 points, 10 coming in the second half. Both tied for team-high with five assists, while Martin and Arie Searcy (Santa Rosa, Calif./Cardinal Newman) each had five rebounds for the Pride.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis opens University Athletic Association play on Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. against rivals NYU.
• Regis plays host to UMass Dartmouth on Thursday evening at 6 p.m.