ATLANTA, Ga. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team was within three points of host Emory in three of the four quarters in today's game, but the Judges struggled in the third quarter as they fell to the Eagles, 57-50, in a University Athletic Association contest. Brandeis falls to 12-11, 4-9 in the UAA, while Emory improves to 13-11, 7-6 UAA.
Brandeis outscored Emory, 14-13, in the first period and 16-13 in the second to take a 30-26 lead into the locker room. Rookie Camila Casanueva (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos) led the Judges with eight points and three assists in the first half, while a balanced attack saw eight other players with two or four points. The Judges shot 13-of-30 from the field in the first (43%) while holding Emory to 14-of-34 (29%). The Eagles' Erin Lindahl kept the hosts in the game with 11 first-half points.
After the break, the Judges were unable to find their stroke, as they scored just five points – all by Casanueva – on 2-of-17 shooting (12%), while Emory was 6-of-17 (35%). Azzairia Jackson-Sherrod netted six points in the period and Allison Chernow had five as the Eagles outscored the Judges, 13-5 in the period to take a 39-35 lead headed into the final period.
Neither team was able to get much offense going in the early stages of the fourth quarter. Brandeis got the deficit to one at 43-42 on a Noel Hodges (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) trifecta at the 6:25, snapping a two-and-a-half minute drought without a field goal by either team. Emory called timeout after the hoop and got a Lindahl layup with 5:50 on the clock to push the lead back to three points.
The teams again went more than two minutes without scoring before Ashley Oldshue hit two free throws to push the lead back to five points with 3:14 to go. A Casanueva trifecta got the Judges back within three points with 2:29 on the clock, but Chernow answered from downtown and the Eagles made just enough free throws down the stretch to hold off the Judges.
Casanueva led the Judges with 17 points, tying her career-high. She shot 6-for-9 from the field, 4-of-6 from 3-point range and 1-of-2 from the line. She also led the Judges with four assists. Junior Joelle MarkAnthony (Wallingford, Conn./Mark T. Sheehan) added 10 points and five rebounds off the bench, adding two steals and two blocked shots. Senior Eva Hart (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) led Brandeis with six rebounds.
Emory got 40 of their 57 points from three players, as Lindahl and Oldshue each finished with 14 points, while Chernow added 12 off the bench – all in the second half. The Eagles dominated the glass, 51-34, led by Oldshue with 10 rebounds, Jackson-Sherrod with eight and Lindahl with seven. Lindsey Tse had a fine all-around game for the hosts with seven points, six boards and game-highs of six assists and three steals.
Brandeis will close out its 2017-18 regular season next Saturday, February 24th, at 1 p.m. against NYU. The Judges will honor seniors Noel Hodges and Eva Hart before the game.