WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team got a huge boost from its bench, which outscored their opponents 34-12, including the first five points of overtime, as the Judges outlasted the visiting Endicott College Gulls, 71-59, in a non-conference showdown in Red Auerbach Arena today.
Overall, Brandeis had a balanced attack, with nine different players scoring between six and 11 points. Junior guard Paris Hodges (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) was the team's leading scorer with 11 points, but it was the bench that made the difference, including a pair of players making just their second appearance of the season. Rookie reserve guard Sarah Jaromin (E. Greenbush, N.Y./Columbia) and classmate forward Joelle MarkAnthony (Wallingford, Conn./Mark T. Sheehan) combined to score 11 of their 13 points in the fourth quarter that had three ties and five lead changes.
The Judges also got a strong performance off the bench for the second-straight game from senior Heather Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester), who had nine points. Junior Kyla Gabriel (Tivoli, N.Y./Red Hook) scored six of her seven bench points in overtime, including a key steal and lay-up that quickly made it a two-possession game.
Brandeis won the battle of the boards, 50-44, thanks to a 15-rebound performance from junior center Maria Jackson (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton), who had seven in the first quarter and five in the fourth quarter and overtime. It was her third 10-plus rebound game in the last four and the seventh of her career. Cain pulled down seven boards off the bench, while Hodges had a fine all-around game, adding six caroms and a game- and season-high five assists.
For Endicott, the loss spoiled a terrific all-around performance by senior forward Kelsey Cuddy (Madison, Conn./Daniel Hand). Cuddy led all scorers with 24 points, while adding nine rebounds and game-highs of eight steals and three blocked shots. Cuddy had 15 of her 24 points in the second half, including 11 in a third quarter in which the Gulls outscored Brandeis, 16-5. Cuddy scored nine points in a row by herself in the third as the visitors erased a seven-point deficit.
Sophomore Gabriella Coppola (Watertown, Conn./Watertown) added nine points, while junior forward Sarah Hood (Burlington, Mass./Burlington) led Endicott with 10 rebounds, five on the offensive glass.
Brandeis didn't trail in the first half, leading EC 17-7 after one quarter. The Judges were ahead by as many as 12 points in the second after a Hodges put-back made it 29-17 with 3:09 to go. Coppola, Hood and a Cuddy 3-pointer cut the deficit to just three points, 29-26, with under a minute to go, but Jackson scored from underneath on a feed from Hodges and a late steal got a buzzer-beating shot by Cain to give Brandeis a six-point cushion at halftime, 33-26.
The Gulls had their big third quarter, holding Brandeis to just 1-of-11 from the field with nine turnovers. Cuddy's hot hand gave the visitors a 42-36 lead before two late Noel Hodges (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) made it a four-point game. Jackson scored the first bucket of the fourth period to quickly make it a one-possession game. Still down three with 9:00 left in regulation, Jaromin and MarkAnthony scored Brandeis's next nine points. Jaromin scored a 3-pointer at the midway point of the period to give Brandeis a 51-49 lead.
Endicott's Hannah Shaw (Bar Harbor, Maine/Mount Desert Island) answered on a feed from Cuddy, who gave the visitors the lead back, 53-51 on a steal and lay-up with 3:33 to go. The Judges tied the game from the line on successive trips, but both squads got defensive stops down the stretch, making it 53-53 at the end of regulation.
Cain gave Brandeis the lead with two free throws to start the extra session, while Gabriel got a steal and lay-up to extend the lead to 57-53 with just 27 seconds gone. Gabriel added two more free throws and junior Sydney Sodine (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) had a put-back and two more foul shots to make it 10 unanswered points to start the extra session. The Judges would hit 14-of-18 from the stripe overall in OT to outscore the Gulls, 18-6.
The victory ensures a winning non-conference record for the Judges, who improve to 6-4 overall, 2-0 in overtime this season. The Gulls fall to 5-4. Brandeis has won all six meetings in the series. The Judges play one more non-conference contest on Tuesday evening at 5 p.m. against UMass Boston. Endicott opens CCC play the same day at Curry College at 5:30 p.m.
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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