WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team fell behind 24-15 in the first quarter and the Judges couldn't recover as they suffered a 79-60 defeat to 16^th-ranked University of Chicago on Senior Day in Red Auerbach Arena today.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 6-16, 1-10 University Athletic Association.
• Chicago: 18-4, 6-4 UAA, ranked 16h in Division III.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Brandeis scored the game's first basket on a fast-break lay-up by senior Francesca Marchese (Staten Island, N.Y./Staten Island) and after the Maroons hit a 3-pointer, senior Emma Reavis (Miami, Okla./Deerfield Academy) hit a pair of free throws for a 4-3 Judge lead.
• UC then scored the game's next 12 points and never trailed again. The visitors owned a 24-15 lead at the end of one period.
• The Judges played well in the second quarter, shooting 53% from the field (8-15), including 3-of-5 from 3-point range. Unfortunately, Chicago was even better, shooting 55% (6-11), including 3-of-6 from downtown, while adding 8-of-10 from the free-throw line. The Maroons took a 47-34 lead into the locker room.
• The squads were evenly matched in the third period, each scoring 17 points. Chicago pulled away again in the fourth, when they held Brandeis to 4-of-16 from the floor. Despite hitting just 3-of-15 of their own, UC was 8-of-10 from the line to finish with the 19-point final margin of victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Judges' box score was a balanced affair, with 10 different players scoring points. Reavis led Brandeis with a stat-sheet-stuffing line of 11 points, six rebounds, and seven assists, all team-highs.
• Sophomore Caitlin Gresko (Howell, N.J./Howell) added nine points and four assists, while seniors Marchese and Tathiana Pierre (Jericho, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) each had eight points.
• Graduate student Shannon Smally (Foxborough, Mass./Foxborough) grabbed five rebounds.
• Chicago saw four players score in double figures. Ellie Gross hit 6-of-10 3-pointers en route to a game-high 22 points. Marissa Powe had a full stat line with 20 points, seven rebounds, four assists, and three steals.
• Bella Alfaro added 12 points off the bench, and Grace Hynes added 10 points and led the Maroons with five assists.
• Lyndsey Carter had a game-high eight rebounds off the bench for UC, helping the visitors to a 36-33 edge on the glass.
• Chicago won the turnover battle, 22-14, though only had a 22-20 advantage in points off those turnovers.
• The Maroons' biggest advantage came at the free-throw line where they outscored the Judges, 22-10.

SENIOR DAY

• Prior to the game, Brandeis head coach Carol Simon and her staff honored the four Brandeis players appearing in their final home games
  • Senior guard Francesca Marchese (Staten Island, N.Y./Staten Island Academy)
  • Senior guard Tathiana Pierre (Jericho, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy)
  • Senior forward Emma Reavis (Miami, Okla./Deerfield Academy)
  • Graduate student center Shannon Smally (Foxborough, Mass./Foxborough)

UP NEXT

• The Judges round out their season with a three-game road trip starting next Friday night at the University of Rochester at 5:30 p.m.