WALTHAM, Mass. - The Brandeis University women's basketball team, ranked No. 5 in the nation, bounced back from their first loss of the season to defeat visiting Carnegie Mellon University, 65-44, in a University Athletic Association contest today. With the win, the Judges improve to 11-1, 1-1 UAA, while the Tartans fall to 3-9, 0-3 UAA.
Brandeis never trailed in the contest. After a jumper by CMU senior guard Colleen Light (Colts Neck, N.J./Colts Neck) at the 14:53 mark of the first cut the lead to 10-8, the Judges embarked on a 15-2 run. The string was sparked by back-to-back 3-pointers and capped by a nice series of plays by junior guard Carmela Breslin (McKees Rocks, Pa./Oakland Catholic). Breslin hit two free throws, followed by a 3-pointer and a steal that led to a Lauren Rashford (Whitesboro, N.Y./Whitesboro) lay-up that gave Brandeis a 25-10 edge with 8:17 left before halftime. The margin grew to 20 on a steal and lay-up by Judge junior guard Jessica Chapin (Mendon, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) before a Light trifecta cut the halftime score to 39-22. Brandeis led by as many as 27 in the second half before coasting to the 21-point victory.
Chapin led all scorers with 15 points, all coming in the first half. She connected on 4-of-7 from the field in the first, including 2-of-4 3-pointers, while hitting all five of her free throws. Chapin also tied with senior forward Cassidy Dadaos (Healdsburg, Calif./Healdsburg) for team-high honors with six rebounds and had three steals. Sophomore guard Diana Cincotta (W. Boylston, Mass./W. Boylston) had nine points and four assists to lead the squad. The Judges outrebounded CMU, 43-34, while holding the Tartans to 25.8% shooting (16-62) for the game.
Carnegie Mellon was paced by senior reserve guard Corey Innes (White Lake, Mich./ Lakeland), who scored 10 of her team-high 12 points in the second half. Innes hit 4-of-8 from the floor, 2-of-4 from beyond the arc and 2-of-2 from the line. Rookie forward Jacki Cortese (Pittsburgh, Pa./Vincentian Acad.) came off the bench to supply 10 points. Senior forward Rachelle Roll (Ostrander, Ohio/Buckeye Valley) led all players with 10 rebounds (three offensive), while rookie Ali Aunkst (Mount Holly Springs, Pa./Boiling Springs) tied for game-high honors with four assists and three steals for the Tartans.