From Brandeis University Athletics

The Brandeis University women's basketball team missed just four shots in the third quarter, hitting 11 in a row and 13-of-17 in total as they erased a seven-point deficit en route to an 81-69 University Athletic Association (UAA) victory over Case Western Reserve University today in Red Auerbach Arena. The Judges improve to 10-4 overall and 2-1 in the UAA, while the Spartans fall to 10-4, 2-1 UAA. The two squads are now part of a five-way tie for first in the conference after two weeks of play.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both teams shot lights out in the first quarter, as the Spartans connected on 56 percent (9-16), including 63 percent from 3-point range (5-8). Brandeis hit 50 percent (6-12) and their only 3-point attempt, but trailed 26-17 after one.
• Brandeis trailed, 29-21, after Case's Hillary Hellman dialed long distance at the 5:28 mark, but Judge senior Frankie Pinto (San Clemente, Calif./San Clemente) responded with two of her own, tying the game at 29-29 just 90 seconds later.
• After Kara Hageman broke the tie for the visitors from the free throw line, the Spartans bounced back from beyond the arc, scoring 3-pointers on their next three possessions – two by Hillary Hellman and one from Jess McCoy that made it 39-31 with 57 seconds left in the stanza.
• A 5-2 run in the final minute got Brandeis within 41-36 at halftime.
• In the third quarter, the Judges caught fire. After missing three of their first five shots, Brandeis connected on 11 in a row, with seniors Kyla Gabriel (Tivoli, N.Y./Red Hook) and Paris Hodges(Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) leading the way.
• Both players hit three buckets in the string. Hodges had a pair of 3-pointers, while Gabriel gave Brandeis its first lead of the second half at 50-47 with 4:45 to go. She also completed an old-fashioned three-point play in the run.
• After Gabriel gave Brandeis the lead, Hageman hit a 3-pointer to tie the game at 50-all, but the Judges scored the game's next 14 points to pull away.
• Rookie Hannah Nicholson (Sunderland, Vt./Burr and Burton Acad.) gave the Judges the lead for good, with Hodges and Gabriel each tacked on three points on the next two possessions.
• Back-to-back hoops by senior Maria Jackson (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton) pushed the lead to  double-digits at 62-50, while a Gabriel steal and lay-in gave Brandeis its biggest lead of the game at 64-50 with 1:41 to go.
• Case closed the period with seven of the last nine points to get within 66-57 after three.
• Gabriel scored the first hoop of the fourth quarter, but Hellman was fouled behind the arc, spurring on the visitors.
• She hit all three foul shots, and McCoy dialed long distance and then scored on the fast break to get CWRU within 68-65 less than three minutes into the fourth.
• The Spartans got a stop on the next possession, but junior Noel Hodges (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) drew a charge, and scored on a weak-side offensive rebound to push Brandeis's lead back to five.
• Case's Hellman would score the game's next bucket to get the visitors back within one possession with 3:32 on the clock, but senior Sydney Sodine (New York N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) had a nice spin move to make it a five point game.
• After a few empty possessions, Sodine found Jackson for a lay-up, giving Brandeis a seven-point lead with less than a minute to go, and the Judges hit their free throws to win going away.

FOR THE JUDGES

• Brandeis had a season-high four players in double figures.
• Jackson established a new career-high with 22 points. She hit 8-of-16 from the field and 6-of-8 from the line. She scored 12 in the first half and 10 in the second.
• Pinto notched 14 points on 4-of-9 from the floor, 2-of-4 from deep and 4-of-4 from the line. Ten of her 14 came in the first half.
• Paris Hodges had a terrific all-around game. She had her second career double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds, one shy of her career-best.
• Twelve of Hodges 13 points came in the third quarter. She also led the Judges with five assists.
• Gabriel scored a career-high 13 points on 5-of-6 overall with a 3-pointer, and 2-of-2 from the line, converting a pair of and-one attempts.
• Eight of her 13 points came in the third quarter – her previous career scoring high was seven points.

FOR THE SPARTANS

• Three players combined for 59 of Case Western Reserve's 69 points.
• McCoy led all players with 24 points, hitting 9-of-15 overall, 4-of-8 from deep and 2-of-2 from the line.
• Hellmann added 22 on 7-of-14, 5-of-7 from beyond the arc, and 3-of-3 from the line.
• Hageman totaled 13 points on 5-of-15 with 2-of-8 from deep and 1-of-4 from the charity stripe.
• McCoy tied Hodges with 11 rebounds – five on the offensive glass.
• Alicia Marie Gonzales led all players with six assists for the Spartans.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Brandeis shot 49 percent for the game (28-57) and 60 percent from 3-point range (6-10). Case Western was 39 percent overall (24-62) and 35 percent from deep (12-34).
• After Case hit 53 percent from downtown in the first half (9-17) Brandeis held the Spartans to just 18 percent in the second (3-17).
• The Judges also won the battle of the boards, 38-33, and outscored the visitors 19-9 from the free-throw line.
• Brandeis has won four in a row and six of seven against Case Western Reserve.
• The Judges and Spartans are two of five teams at 2-1 in the UAA, along with Rochester, Chicago and Carnegie Mellon .