WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis women's basketball team shot lights out in the first half to build a 12-point (44-32) lead at the break, but the Judges couldn't maintain their momentum against Washington (Mo.) University as the third-ranked Bears outscored the hosts, 45-14, in the second 20 minutes en route to a 77-58 victory. Brandeis falls to 9-7 overall, 1-4 in the University Athletic Association, while Washington University bounced back from their first loss to improve to 15-1, 4-1 UAA.
Brandeis opened up their lead in the first half by shooting 57% (17-30) while holding Washington to just 26% (11-42). The Judges also connected on 43% (3-7) from downtown while the Bears were 21% (3-of-14). Brandeis was led by sophomore Paris Hodges (Southmhampton, N.Y./Southampton), who had 13 first-half points, while senior guard Hannah Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) added 11. The Judges' 44 points was their largest first-half output of the season. WashU senior Melissa Gilkey (Woodinville, Wash./Woodinville) helped the Bears stay in the game with nine points, while junior Amanda Martinez (Littleton, Colo./Arapahoe) had 10 rebound, including seven on the offensive glass. The visitors had 15 offensive rebounds in the first, leading to 17 second-chance points, and allowing them to stay in the game.
After Brandeis junior guard Niki Laskaris (Swampscott, Mass./Swampscott) hit the opening bucket of the second half, Brandeis owned its largest lead of the game, 46-32. The Judges were still ahead by 10, at 52-42, with five-and-a-half minutes gone on a Tori Dobson (Greenwich, Conn./Greenwich) jumper.
At that point, following a WashU timeout, the tide turned. The Bears came out in a zone defense, holding Brandeis scoreless for a stretch of eight minutes and scoring 20 unanswered points. Washington got 10 points from rookie Natalie Orr (Carmel, Ind./Heritage Christian) in the run, with her two free throws at the 6:31 mark giving the visitors a 62-52 lead. The sides traded buckets on the next two possessions, but a 12-2 run by WashU was capped by a Gilkey three-point play that made it a 20-point game, 76-56, with under two minutes to go.
Washington turned the tables in the second half by outshooting the Judges, 53% to 23%. The Bears hit 4-of-10 from beyond the arc and 7-of-10 from the line, while Brandeis missed all 10 of their 3-point shots and did not attempt a free throw in the final 20 minutes. Gilkey finished with 12 points and seven rebounds in the second half to produce one of two Washington double-doubles. She had 21 points and 12 caroms for the game, while junior Jordan Thompson (Webster Groves, Mo./Webster Groves) added 15 points and a team-high 10 assists. Orr finished with 11 points, 10 coming in the key run, while Martinez led all players with 13 rebounds, eight offensive. The Bears' 25 offensive rebounds led to a 31-12 edge in second-chance points.
Brandeis was led by Hannah Cain's 15 points, which came on 7-of-15 shooting, 1-of-4 from downtown. Hodges finished with 13 points – but none after the break. Dobson added 11 rebounds, reaching double-digits for the second-straight game. She also had four assists, while junior guard Heather Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) had six helpers, doubling her career high.
Brandeis returns to action next Friday evening at 6 p.m. against Emory University.