CLEVELAND, Ohio – Brandeis women's basketball senior Maria Jackson (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) scored 11 of her 17 points in the fourth quarter, including nine in the last five minutes, but the Judges were not quite able to overcome hot 3-point shooting as host Case Western Reserve escaped with a 71-68 University Athletic Association victory today. With the loss, the Judges fall to .500 on the season at 11-11 overall, 3-8 in the UAA. The Spartans improve to 13-9, 5-6 UAA, and salvage a season split.

FOR THE JUDGES

• Five players scored in double digit for the visitors, paced by Jackson.
• Limited to two points in five minutes in the first half and six points in 11 minutes through three, Jackson hit 5-of-6 from the field with a free throw in the fourth period.
• Classmate Sydney Sodine (New York, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) added 12 points and eight rebounds, helping the Judges dominate points in the paint, 44-24.
• Senior guard Paris Hodges (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) recorded her second double-double of the season – both coming against CWRU - with 11 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
• Rookie Katie Goncalo (Fall River, Mass. / Tabor Acad.) added 11 points off the bench on 4-of-8 with two of the team's 3 3-pointers.
• Junior guard Noel Hodges (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) was the final Judge to score in double figures with 10 points, while distributing a game- and career-high six assists.
• Brandeis outrebounded CWRU,   48-36, including 15-7 on the offensive glass.

FOR THE SPARTANS

• Case had three starters combine for 51 points – Kara Hageman scored a game-high 20 points, Hillary Hellman had 16 and Jess McCoy added 15.
• The trio connected for eight 3-pointers – four for Hellman and two each for Hageman and McCoy.
• Alicia Maria Gonzalez led the home team with four assists.
• Overall, CWRU had 12 3-pointers to just three for the Judges, helping them overcome their rebounding deficit.
• Hellman just missed a double-double with a team-high nine rebounds.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first three quarters were extremely tight, featuring eight ties and 18 lead changes.
• Brandeis led 15-12 after one quarter, thanks to six different players scoring field goals, with only Sodine scoring twice from the field.
• The Spartans took advantage of Jackson's absence in the second, outscoring Brandeis 18-14 with similar balance, as Hellman was the only Case player with two buckets.
• After taking a 30-29 lead at halftime, the Spartans opened the second half with a McCoy trifecta to take a four-point lead.
• That was the only two-possession edge of the stanza, as the Judges quickly answered back and the lead changed hands eight times in the period.
• Case took a 49-48 edge into the fourth period thanks to a Marissa Muth 3-pointer with 1:35 to go. Both teams had chances to answer, but were unable to capitalize.
• The hosts looked to finally gain some breathing room when Alexis Amburgey opened the fourth period with a 3-pointer and Hageman added lay-up to give Case a 54-48 lead.
• Noel Hodges hit 1-of-2 from the line on the next possession, but a Hageman steal and lay-up pushed the Case advantage to seven at 56-49.
• Two more freebies from Noel Hodges were answered by a Hellman 3-pointer, while a Jackson bucket made it 59-53 with 5:54 to go.
• Jackson scored on a put-back and senior Joelle MarkAnthony (Wallingford, Conn. / Mark T. Sheeha) added a free throw at the 3:58 mark to cut the deficit to four at 60-56.
• CWRU notched the next five points to take their biggest lead of the game, with a Hellman 3-pointer followed a Hageman lay-up and a foul, though she missed from the line, keeping the Case advantage at 65-56 with 2:50 to go.
• Paris Hodges halted the momentum briefly with her first 3-pointer of the game, but McCoy answered to keep it a three-possession game.
• After Paris Hodges hit another bucket with just under two minutes to go, Brandeis was able to take turn up their defensive pressure thanks to not being inn foul trouble.
• Jackson made steals and lay-ups on back-to-back possessions, including converting a traditional three-point player as the Judges quickly got back within two point, 68-66, with 59 seconds to go.   
• The Judges kept up their tight defense on the next Case possession, but were called for a foul as the shot clock wound down. Though they didn't send the Spartans to the line, because they weren't in the bonus yet the hosts were able to keep the ball until the shot clock was turned off.
•  Brandeis finally sent Gonzalez to the line with 28.0 seconds to go, and she hit 1-of-2 to keep it a one-possession game.
• Jackson answered with a lay-up to get the Judges within 69-68 and 16.6 remaining.
• Case called timeout and advanced the ball into the front court, and the Judges fouled McCoy with 12.4 seconds left. She hit both, and the Judges called another timeout to advance the ball.
• Brandeis let the clock run down until the ball came to Paris Hodges, but McCoy was there to block her 3-point attempt and close out the game.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis will return home to meet the University of Chicago next Friday evening at 6 p.m., followed by Senior Day next Sunday at 2 p.m. against Washington University.