Junior guard Francesca Marchese (Staten Island, N.Y. / Staten Island Academy) scored 18 points on six made threes, both career highs, and the Judges knocked down a school-record 16 3-pointers to cruise to a 81-58 win against Clark in their final home game of the season.
With the win, the Judges have won three out of four and are 9-14. Clark, playing their season-finale, falls to 8-15.
After trailing by as many as 17 in the first half, the Cougars cut the Judges lead to 47-44 with 5:58 left in the third quarter following a lay-up from Clark's Megan Swedberg. Brandeis responded with a 11-2 run to close out the quarter, capped off by a Reavis three with 26 ticks to go in the period to take a 58-46 lead. The Cougars scored the first five points of the fourth to cut the deficit to seven. Brandeis scored the game's next 12 points, culminated by three-consecutive 3-pointers from Marchese, junior Tathiana Pierre (Jericho, N.Y. / Sacred Heart Academy), and senior Camila Casanueva (Santa Barbara, Calif. / Dos Pueblos).
The Judges moved the ball exceptionally well against the Clark zone, racking up 21 assists. Junior guard Emma Reavis (Miami, Okla / Deerfield Academy) had a game-high seven assists and Casanueva added five. Reavis also tied her career-high with 17 points and grabbed 11 rebounds, her second consecutive double-double. Senior Kerry Tanke (Manalapan, NJ / Manalapan) added 11 points on 4-of-6 shooting, while Caitlin Gresko (Howell, N.J. / Howell) scored 14.
Brandeis put an emphasis on playing through the inside, moving the ball around the perimeter to set up entry feeds to the post. The Judges' commitment to attacking the interior paid off, creating open shots on the perimeter and forcing several key Cougars to the bench with foul trouble.
Entering the contest, the rebounding battle was a major focus of the team. The Judges outrebounded the Cougars 50-34 on the glass, limiting the Cougars to just eight second-chance points and igniting their transition offense.
Brandeis will travel to NYU for its season-finale on Saturday at 1 p.m.
-- By Jesse Lieberman '22