Waltham, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team could not complete a fourth quarter rally in University Athletic Association play as they fell to the visiting Carnegie Mellon University Tartans at Red Auerbach Arena, 66-60. The Judges drop to 9-9 (2-5 UAA) while the Tartans improve to 14-4 (3-4 UAA).
After turning a close game at halftime into a double-digit advantage, Carnegie Mellon held a 53-43 lead with 7:00 to play. From there Brandeis embarked on a 16-6 surge to tie the game for the first time since the second period. Three 3-pointers in the span of five possessions by junior guard Frankie Pinto (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) brought the Judges back with her trifecta at the 1:35 mark knotting the contest at 59-59.
The Tartans came right back with a lay-up by senior guard Lindsay Poss (Poolesville, Md./Poolesville) to take a 61-59 lead. After an empty possession by the Judges, the visitors were able to extend their advantage on a pair of free throws from junior guard Jackie Hudepohl (Saratoga, Calif./Lynbrook).
With under a minute to play, Brandeis was unable to capitalize on offense as Carnegie Mellon iced the game with three more freebies to win by a final margin of 66-60.
In a close first half, the two teams were knotted at 16 after one period and the Tartans maintained a slim 32-27 edge at the half with the Judges hanging around despite shooting 23.5% from the field.
Brandeis was led by senior guard Heather Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) who netted 16 points and pulled down six rebounds. Classmate guard Niki Laskaris (Swampscott, Mass./Swampscott) joined her in double-digits with 11 points off the bench. Pinto pulled down a team-high seven caroms including five on the offensive glass and added nine points while junior guard Kyla Gabriel (Tivoli, N.Y./Red Hook) led the squad with four assists.
Carnegie Mellon featured a trio of double-figure scorers led by junior center Lisa Murphy (McLean, Va./McLean). Murphy recorded a double-double with 17 points (15 in the second half) and 10 rebounds while shooting a perfect 6-for-6 from the field and 5-of-5 from the charity stripe. Senior forward Liza Otto (Glastonbury, Conn./Glastonbury) added 16 points while Poss contributed 15. Hudepohl had a team-high four assists while Murphy swatted a game-high four shots.
The Judges continue their UAA slate when they travel to Case Western on Friday February 5th for a 6:00 p.m. matchup while the Tartans head home to take on NYU.