From Brandeis University Athletics
The Brandeis University women's basketball team put three players in double figures in scoring – including two off the bench - and held the host University of Rochester Yellowjackets to one field goal over the last 4:41 as the Judges earned a 60-52 University Athletic Association victory in UR's Alexander Palestra this afternoon. With the win, Brandeis salvages a season split in the series and improves to 11-9, 3-6 in the UAA. Rochester falls to 12-8, 4-5 UAA.
Brandeis was paced by senior Hannah Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester), who scored a career-high 18 points in just 24 minutes of action. Cain hit 6-of-9 from the field and all six of her free throws. Ten of her 18 points came in the second half. She also pulled down seven rebounds and dished three assists.
The Judges also got a terrific performance from their bench, which outscored UR by a 38-24 margin after being on the wrong end of a 44-23 margin in that category in the previous meeting. Rookie F/C Olivia Shaw (Saco, Maine/Thornton Acad.) was second to Cain with 16 points, hitting 7-of-13 with a pair of 3-pointers, while also pulling own seven boards. Sophomore guard Paris Hodges (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) finished with 14 points, hitting 6-of-11, 1-of-2 from deep and a pair from the charity stripe.
Brandeis outrebounded Rochester, 47-43, with sophomore Maria Jackson (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) and junior Sydney Sodine (Dix Hills, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills East) each overcoming tough offensive games to grab eight boards each. Jackson also posted game-highs of four assists and three steals in front of her home-town crowd.
Rochester got 11 points from Alexandra Leslie, but seven of those 11 points came from the line. The Yellowjackets hit just 26.8% from the field (15-56) a week after connecting on 35.2% (19-54) in a 62-61 win in Waltham. No UR player scored more than two field goals, with Brynn Lauer notching eight points thanks to a pair of 3-pointers and two free throws. Leslie also led the Yellowjackets with six rebounds and four blocked shots. Ally Zywicki contributed three assists for the hosts.
The game featured six ties and 12 lead changes, but the Judges had the key final run. After Rochester tied the game at 48-48 on a Sarah Kaminsky 3-pointer with 4:41 remaining, the hosts would hit just one field goal the rest of the way in the final seconds of action. Shaw's put-back at the 4:26 mark gave Brandeis the lead for good, and she hit again with 3:58 remaining to make it a four-point game, 52-48.
UR's Lauren Deming hit twice from the line at 3:29 to get the 'Jackets back within two, 52-50, but the defenses were stout for the next two minutes and 50 seconds. The Judges finally gained some breathing room with 38.6 seconds on the clock when junior Heather Cain (Gloucester, Mass./Gloucester) drove the left baseline and hit a lay-up, her only basket of the game. The Judges then hit their last six free throws to ice the contest and earn their first win in Rochester since 2010.