BRIDGEWATER, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team erased a 20-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but a free throw by Bridgewater State University with 3.1 seconds left on the clock gave the host Bears a 70-69 win in the 2022-23 season opener for both teams tonight.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 0-1.
• Bridgewater State, 1-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Judges struggled from the field in the first half, shooting just 7-30 (23%), as they trailed 21-14 after the first quarter and 42-22 at halftime. BSU hit 53% from the field (18-34) in the first 20 minutes.
• The Bears still led, 60-40, after both teams scored 18 points in the third. Brandeis got 10 of their points from the free-throw line, where they hit 10-of-12.
• The teams traded buckets on the first two possessions of the fourth quarter, giving Bridgewater State a 62-42 lead with 9:20 to go in the game.
• The Judges held BSU to just one field goal the rest of the way as they clawed their way back into the contest. Brandeis made it a one-possession game with 3:12 to go on a free throw by graduate student Courtney Thrun (Regina, Sask./Wilbraham and Monson) that made it 64-61. The Judges grabbed the offensive rebound on a miss on the second shot, but couldn't take advantage from the line, missing the first shot and getting called for a lane violation on the second.
• BSU pushed the lead back to five points on a pair of Arielle Cleveland foul shots, but senior Francesca Marchese (Staten Island, N.Y./Staten Island Academy) hit a 3-pointer to cut the Judges' deficit to two, 66-64, with 2:34 to go.
• Cleveland made one-of-two from the line on the next Bear possession. Brandeis pushed the ball up the floor, and rookie Katherine Vaughan (Bedford, Mass. / Bedford) made a lay-up on a feed from senior Emma Reavis (Miami, Okla./Deerfield Acad.) that got the Judges within 67-66 with 1:58 left. Vaughan was fouled on the play, but couldn't convert the tying free throw.
• BSU had a chance to increase their lead on the next possession, but the Bears missed two free throws and couldn't convert on an offensive rebound.
• Vaughan then hit one-of-two from the line to knot the game at 67-67 with 1:17 on the clock.
• Bridgewater State's Cleveland hit a bucket to put the home team ahead, but Reavis' connected twice from the line with 42 seconds left to even things up at 69-all.
• BSU missed on their next two 3-pointers with a chance to take the lead, but the Bears grabbed the offensive rebound both times, leading to a foul on Jordan Peebles with 3.1 seconds to go on the clock. Peebles missed the first but hit the second for the decisive point of the game.
• The Judges had a couple of looks at the bucket from Marchese and Reavis, but both were contested as Bridgewater State hung on for the win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Judges were led by Reavis, who finished with 16 points. Half of her scoring came in the fourth quarter, and she hit 10-of-12 from the line for the game. Reavis was one point shy of her career-high.
• Vaughan added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds in her collegiate debut. She played 16 minutes off the bench.
• Marchese added nine points on 3-of-9 from beyond the arc. She moved into a tie for 10th place on Brandeis's all-time 3-point list with 90. Marchese also had a team- and career-high four assists.
• The Judges had a balanced attack, with 10 different players scoring points.
• BSU had four players scored in double figures, with Kylie Grassi leading all players with 25 points and eight rebounds, while also adding five assists.
• Kylee Piche scored 17 points, Cleveland had 10 and Caroline Tripp had 10 points and game-high six assists off the bench.
• Brandeis outscored BSU, 25-11, from the free-throw line, and had 6 3-pointers to 3 for the Bears. BSU outshot Brandeis, 43% to 35% from the field overall for the game.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis hosts the 2022 Brandeis Judges Invitational this weekend, taking on RPI on Friday evening at 5 p.m. and either Maine Maritime or Connecticut College on Saturday.
• Bridgewater State is at Suffolk on Thursday at 7 p.m.