NEW YORK, N.Y. - Four starters on the Brandeis women's basketball team scored in double figures today, paced by senior Jessica Chapin's (Mendon, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) game-high 25 points, as the Judges defeated host New York University, 73-68, in the University Athletic Association opener for both teams. With the win, Brandeis snaps a five-game losing streak in the Big Apple, earning just their second-ever win in NYU's Coles Sports Center.
Brandeis (8-3, 1-0 UAA) never trailed in the contest, though the game was tied twice early and once late. Ten unanswered points by the Judges over a 5:16 stretch midway through the first frame pushed a 14-11 margin to 24-11 on a pair of Kasey Gieschen (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes) free throws with 7:04 on the clock. NYU was able to cut into the lead before intermission, cutting the deficit to 34-27 on two late Emily Foshag free throws, though Bianca Storts's 3-pointer at the buzzer after a steal kept the Violets from getting any closer. Chapin led all players with 12 points at the break, while Chrissy Kilmurray had 11 for New York.
NYU (7-4, 0-1 UAA) opened the second half with pressure defense, getting within five points early, but the Judges answered and got the lead back to double figures, 42-31, on a back-door lay-up by Chapin on a nice feed from Gieschen. The margin bounced between nine and 11 on the next few possessions before a Makenzie Hirz put-back and Foshag trifecta got the hosts within 46-41 with just over five minutes gone. Chapin answered with a long ball of her own, but NYU wouldn't go away.
The Violets trailed, 53-47, at the 11:30 mark, but embarked on a 10-4 run over the next six minutes, eventually tying the game at 57-57 on Foshag's second trifecta of the second half and a pair of Erica Franke free throws with 5:29 left in the contest. Chapin responded with a deep 3-ball of her own, her second of the half, that gave the Judges a 60-57 lead they would not relinquish. Chelsea Blake converted a one-and-one on New York's next possession, but Chapin dialed long distance for the fourth time in the game to push the lead to 63-59 and spark a 9-3 run that made it 69-62 with 2:38 left. The Judges were able to eat clock on the next couple of possessions to keep the hosts at bay, but a Chrissy Kilmurray bomb from the corner with 48 seconds, followed by a Brandeis turnover got NYU to within one possession with the ball, but the Judges were able to keep them off the board, hanging on for the five-point win.
Chapin had her second-straight game and third this season with at least 25 points, connecting on eight-of-19 overall from the field, 4-of-10 from 3-point range and 5-of-9 from the line. With her 25 points, Chapin moved past Jen Curran '02 and Lindsey Sensenbrenner '02 into seventh place on the Judges' all-time scoring list with 1,071 points. Junior forward Amber Strodthoff (DePere, Wisc./DePere) added 17 points, including 12 in the second half, to set a career-high for the second game in a row.
Gieschen recorded her second double-double in three games, with 12 points and a game-high 12 rebounds, while sophomore Morgan Kendrew (Cotuit, Mass./Barnstable) had 11 points. Senior Lauren Rashford (Whitesboro, N.Y./Whitesboro) led the squad with three assists off the bench.
As a team, the Judges outrebounded NYU by 14, 52-38, against a team that had a plus-8.4 rebound margin this season. That translated into a 32-20 edge in points in the paint and 15-10 margin in second-chance points. Those stats helped Brandeis overcome a season-high 22 turnovers and a 30-6 deficit in points off those miscues. The win for Brandeis was the first for the Judges at NYU since 2003-04.
NYU was paced by Carmen and Kilmurray who had 14 points each, while Foshag had 10. Kilmurray topped the hosts with seven boards, while senior Jen Hum-Traverso had a game-high five assists. The Violets' bench outscored Brandeis's 23-4, but they were hampered by shooting just 32.9 percent from the field (23-70) and 23.5 percent from 3-point range (8-34), while allowing the Judges to connect on 40 percent (24-60) overall.