WALTHAM, Mass.- The Brandeis women's basketball team fell tonight against 16th-ranked Emory University in University Athletic Association (UAA) play at Red Auerbach Arena, 66-52. The Judges struggled to find their shooting stroke in the first half and the Eagles took advantage by taking an early lead. Brandeis was not able to recover and moved to 7-12 (1-7 UAA) on the year while Emory improved to 17-2 (7-1 UAA).
In the first period, the Judges took the lead on the first bucket of the game as sophomore guard Hannah Cain (Gloucester, Mass./ Gloucester) drove through the lane and finished with a layup. Brandeis hung tough for the next seven minutes after two free throws from junior guard Kasey Dean (Southbury, Conn./ Pomperaug) made it a one point game at 11-10 with 13:12 remaining. From there the Eagles took over, reeling off nine straight points to break the game open. Emory would build a lead as big as 15 on a layup by senior forward Misha Jackson (Atlanta, Ga./ St. Pius X) with 1:18 on the clock. Still, the Judges went into the break down 31-18 after two more from Dean at the charity stripe.
In the second half, Emory did not let up. After Cain drained a shot from downtown to bring Brandeis within 14 at 41-27, the Eagles went on a 13-2 run to seal the game. A jumper by Jackson with 10:55 to go gave Emory its largest lead of the game, 54-29. The Judges did have a run of their own, scoring the last eight points of the game with rookie guard Samantha Mancinelli (Durham, Conn./ Coginchaug Regional) scoring six in that stretch to make the final score 66-52.
Cain and Dean led the Judges with nine points each while senior forward Samantha Anderson (Johnsonville, N.Y./ Hoosic Valley) chipped in eight and senior forward Erika Higginbottom (Millbury, Mass./ Worcester Acad.) and Mancinelli added seven apiece. Cain earned team-high honors with seven rebounds and Mancinelli pulled down another five. Dean led the squad with two assists while Mancinelli had a team-high two steals. Brandeis had a strong game on the glass, outrebounding Emory 49-24.
For the Eagles, junior guard Savannah Morgan (San Jose, Calif./ Presentation) had a game-high 15 points as Jackson joined her in double-digits with 11. Jackson also led Emory with seven rebounds while junior guard Selena Castillo (Tampa, Fla./ Academy of the Holy Names) and classmate guard Hannah Lilly (Mercer Island, Wash./ Mercer Island) tied for team-high honors with four assists. Jackson had a game-high three blocks and rookie guard Khadijah Sayyid (Longmont, Colo./ Peak to Peak) led the squad with five steals. The Eagles had a smothering defensive performance, forcing 24 turnovers and turning them into 29 points while only giving up the ball nine times themselves.
Brandeis continues their UAA slate against the University of Rochester at Red Auerbach Arena on Sunday February 3rd with a 2:00 p.m. tip off. Emory faces off against NYU on the road on Sunday February 3rd with a 2:00 p.m. tip off in UAA action.