CHICAGO, Ill. -- The No. 17 Brandeis University women's basketball team rallied from a three-point halftime deficit to defeat the host University of Chicago Maroons, 57-48, in University Athletic Association action today. The Judges handed Chicago, the top-ranked team in the nation according to the WBCA and No. 4 in the d3hoops.com poll, their second-straight loss.

Brandeis (14-3, 4-3 UAA) scored the game's first five points, but saw Chicago (16-2, 5-2 UAA) rally to score the next 10 points. A traditional three-point play by junior Jaime Capra (Old Bridge, N.J.) - her only field goal of the game - at the 5:45 mark of the first gave Brandeis a brief 15-14 lead, but the Maroons closed on an 8-4 run to take a 22-19 lead into the locker room.

Molly Hackney hit the first bucket of the second half to give Chicago a five-point advantage, but the Maroons were never able to pull away. The Judges trailed, 31-27, with 13:34 left in the contest when they went on the game's decisive run. Rookie guard Carmela Breslin (McKees Rocks, Pa.) entered the game and provided a much-needed spark off the bench, tallying a career-high 11 points in the next seven minutes. Breslin hit three 3-pointers and a field goal in that stretch. Only a free throw by sophomore Amanda Wells (Loudon, N.H.) interrupted Breslin's hot streak, as her third trifecta gave the Judges a 39-35 lead with 8:42 left. Rookie Lauren Rashford and (Whitesboro, N.Y.) and senior Caitlin Malcolm (Windsor Locks, Conn.) added the game's next two field goals to push the lead to eight, and the Judges held on for the win.

Malcolm led all players with 14 points and grabbed 10 rebounds for her second double-double of the season. It marked the first time in four games that she reached double figures in scoring. Breslin was next on the scoring roll for the Judges with her 11 points, as she outscored the entire UC bench, which had 10 points. Senior Alison Chase (Farmington, Conn.) tallied 10 points, hitting four key free throws down the stretch. Sophomore Lauren Orlando (Peabody, Mass.) also had 10 boards for the Judges.

Chicago, which was held to a season scoring low, was paced by 12 points from junior Nofi Mojidi and 11 from senior Korry Schwanz. Hackney finished with 10 points and junior Nicaya Rapier led all players with 12 rebounds, including eight on the offensive glass. The Maroons were hurt by poor foul shooting, hitting just 11-of-22 from the stripe.