WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team fell behind early and couldn't catch up as the Judges dropped their University Athletic Association (UAA) opener to visiting NYU, 78-46, in Red Auerbach Arena today.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 5-7, 0-1 UAA.
• NYU, 11-0, 1-0 UAA, Ranked #1 in D3hoops.com poll, #2 in WBCA poll.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Violets showed why they are the top-ranked team in Division III by D3hoops.com, as they never trailed, scoring the first five points of the game and opening on a 10-2 run.
• NYU led 26-7 after the first 10 minutes, as the Violets' Jenny Walker (8 points) and Belle Pellecchia (7 points) each outscored the home team.
• NYU expanded their lead to 49-21 by halftime as Pellecchia added nine more to finish with 17 at the break.
• The Judges won the third period, 14-9, with five points from first-year Katherine Vaughan (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) but NYU answered with a 20-11 fourth to take their 32-point win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Brandeis finished without a double-digit scorer for the third time this season. Vaughan and sophomore Caitlin Gresko (Howell, N.J./Howell) each scored a team-high nine points.
• Grad student Shannon Smally (Foxborough, Mass./Foxborough) and first-year Abby Kennedy (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) each had seven points, representing Kennedy's career scoring high.
• Senior Emma Reavis (Miami, Okla./Deerfield Acad., Mass.) led the Judges with six rebounds, while junior Lulu Ohm (Waltham, Mass./Waltham) had three assists off the bench.
• NYU put three starters in double figures in scoring, with Pellecchia finishing with 16 points, Natalie Bruns added 15 and Walker finishing with 14.
• Bruns stuffed the stat sheet with 10 rebounds, six assists, five steals and two blocked shots, all game-highs.
• Brandeis edged NYU on the glass, 41-39, but the Violets had a commanding advantage in turnovers. The Violets converted 34 Judge miscues into 36 points, while Brandeis forced just nine Violet turnovers and turned it into nine points.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• Brandeis fell to 0-3 this season against top-25 opponents.
• NYU has won six in a row in the series with Brandeis, taking a 50-17 lead.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis and NYU both head to the Midwest for their next UAA action.
• The Judges head to St. Louis to take on Washington University next Friday evening at 6:30 p.m. Eastern (5:30 Central). NYU is at #10 Chicago for a top-10 showdown at the same time.