Posted: Feb 24, 2023
BROOKLYN, N.Y. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team put three starters in double figures in scoring, but the Judges couldn't keep sixth-ranked NYU from clinching the 2023 University Athletic Association title outright tonight as the Violets took an 85-62 win in the regular-season finale for both teams
TEAM RECORDS
- Brandeis: 6-19, 1-13 UAA.
- NYU, 22-2, 12-2 UAA, Ranked #6 in Division III by D3hoops.com
HOW IT HAPPENED
- The first quarter was an offensive explosion, with NYU taking a 33-23 lead. The Judges missed just four shots (10-14), but NYU was almost as effective (12-20), including 4-of-8 from 3-point range, while Brandeis was just 1-of-3 from deep. NYU also had a 5-2 scored edge from the line.
- Brandeis closed within six points after a Caitlin Gresko (Howell, N.J./Howell) hit a 3-pointer with 8:26 to go in the second period making it 37-31.
- The Violets answered with an Erica Miller trifecta, and Brandeis senior Emma Reavis (Miami, Okla./Deerfield Acad.) hit a lay-up to make it 40-33 with 7:37 to go in the first half.
- NYU's defense buckled down at that point, as the Violets scored the last 11 points of the stanza. Brandeis missed their last 16 shots with three turnovers as the hosts claimed a 51-33 lead at the break.
- The Violets outscored Brandeis, 21-14, in the third period and led by as many as 29 points in the fourth before the final 23-point decision.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- The Judges were led in scoring by Gresko, who finished just short of game-high honors with 19 points. She hit 6-of-14 overall, 2-of-6 from deep, and 5-of-5 from the line.
- Graduate student Shannon Smally (Foxborough, Mass./Foxborough) had 12 points in her final contest, while Reavis had 11 points and a game-high six assists.
- Senior Tathiana Pierre (Jericho, N.Y./Sacred Heart Academy) led all players with a career-high nine rebounds in her final contest. Five of her boards came on the offensive glass.
- NYU's Jenny Walker had a game-high 20 points, hitting 7-of-14 overall and 6-of-8 from the line. She also led the Violets with seven rebounds and four assists.
- Erica Miller added 13 points with three 3-pointers, while Belle Pellecchia and Mary Kate Fahey each had 11 points off the bench, as each matched the entire output of the Brandeis reserves.
- The Violets finished the game shooting 50% from the field (31-62) and 41% from 3-point range (12-29), while the Judges were just 33% overall (23-69) and 22% from downtown (5-23).
- NYU had a 17-16 edge in turnovers, but they turned it into a 22-13 advantage in points off turnovers. They also had a 14-4 advantage in second-chance points after a 41-35 rebounding edge.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Reavis's 83 assists this season gave her 264 for her career. She ranks sixth on the Judges' career total assist list, while her 3.6 assists per game rank third all-time.
- Classmate Francesca Marchese (Staten Island, N.Y./Staten Island Academy) hit one 3-pointer to finish with 44 for the season and 131 for her career. It's her second career season with 44 trifectas, good for sixth all-time, while she finishes fourth on the career list in just three seasons.