WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team overcame a rough shooting first half to cut a 16-point deficit to one late with 4:29 to go, but the Judges couldn't quite get over the hump in a 56-50 loss to the Babson College Beavers tonight. The Judges fall to 4-4, while the Beavers improve to 6-2.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both offenses struggled in the first quarter, as Babson led 11-6 after 10 minutes. Brandeis shot 3-16 (18.8%), while Babson hit 5-15 (33%).
• The Beavers hit another 33.3% in the second (4-12), but connected on 3-4 from beyond the arc, while Brandeis made just 3-15 (20%), as the visitors went ahead, 27-15, at the break.
• Babson's Marissa Cicchetti led all scorers with eight points in the first thanks to two 3-pointers. Taylor Russell and Kristen Ferola added seven points, matched by Brandeis's Heather Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester).
• Babson hit the first two buckets of the second half to take their biggest lead of the game, 31-15, on a Ferola hoop at the 8:44 mark.
• The teams traded buckets until the 5:35 mark, when Babson was ahead 39-23. Brandeis got back in the game by scoring the next 13 points in a row, including a Cain trifecta.
• Two Ceara McNamara (Amherst, N.H./Souhegan) free throws with 1:16 left in the third capped the run, making it a 39-36 deficit.
• The Beavers scored four of the last five points of the quarter to take a 42-37 edge into the final 10 minutes.
• Giovanna Pickering scored six points for Babson in the third, Cain and Maria Jackson (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) had five each for the Judges.
• Babson's Jess Coelho opened the fourth with a lay-up making a seven-point game, but Brandeis senior Niki Laskaris (Swampscott, Mass./Swampscott) answered from deep.
• After a Babson hoop, Brandeis pressure got a pair of fast buckets, with sophomore Noel Hodges (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) getting a steal and starting a fast break and her sister, junior Paris Hodges (Southampton, Mass./Southampton) getting a theft and taking it in herself to get the Judges within 46-44 at the 8:34 mark of the fourth.
• Out of a timeout, Babson scored the game's next three points, but Cain answered with a driving layup and a straightaway jumper with a toe on the line that cut the Brandeis deficit to one, 49-48, with 5:31 left.
• The Beavers responded with a quick hoop from Megan Otto, then got three chances on their next possession before Brenna LeGacy converted a pass from Taylor Russell's offensive rebound putting the visitors up, 53-48, with 3:26 on the clock.
• The Judges hit another brief cold spell, missing five shots in a row as they tried to get back into things, but Russell connected on a hoop with 1:43 left that made it a three-possession game, and the Judges couldn't complete the comeback.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Heather Cain led all scorers with a career-high 19 points, 11 of which came in the second half, six in the fourth quarter. She was 7-for-14 from the field, 2-for-5 from downtown and 2-for-2 from the line.
• Taylor Russell led Babson with 12 points and 13 rebounds – six on the offensive glass.
• Paris Hodges nearly had a double-double with nine points and a team-high eight rebounds.
• The Judges had just five assists on their 20 baskets, while Babson had 14 helpers on 22 buckets.
• Rebounds (44-43, Babson) and turnovers (19-19) were evenly matched.
• After their tough first half of shooting, Brandeis bounced back to hit a 40% clip in the second (14-35), but Babson raised their percentage as well (13-30, 43.3%).

THE RIVALY

• This is the most contested non-conference rivalry for Brandeis.
• It was the 48^th meeting between the two schools, with Babson taking a 25-23 lead, having won five in a row.
• Three of the previous four meetings were decided by four points or less.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis is off until New Year's Eve Day, when they meet Husson University at 1 p.m.
• Babson heads to Nashville just before New Year's, where they will meet Whitworth (Calif.) and Mount Union (Ohio) on Dec. 29 and 30.

For more information on Brandeis Athletics, please visit brandeisjudges.com or follow us on Twitter or Instagram @brandeisjudges, or follow us on Facebook.

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