From Brandeis University Athletics
The Brandeis University women's basketball team outscored the Johnson & Wales Wildcats 11-2 in the fourth quarter on Saturday to earn a 44-37 win. Senior Paris Hodges (Southampton, N.Y./Southampton) led all players with 22 points, a new career-high, as the Judges improve to 5-2 on the season. The Wildcats fall to 4-3.
Hodges, a guard, was the star of the game for the Judges, shooting an efficient 9-15 from the field and making all four free throws she attempted. She also added six rebounds and two assists. Three Brandeis players had double-digit rebounds: senior forward Sydney Sodine (New York, N.Y./Half Hollow Hills West) had a game-high 14, senior forward Maria Jackson (Rochester, N.Y./Hilton)grabbed 12, and junior guard Eva Hart (Manasquan, N.J./Manasquan) set a new career-high with 10 rebounds. Sodine split her rebounds evenly, as seven of them came on offensive possessions.
The Wildcats were led by junior guard Raquel Pederzani (Coventry, R.I./Bayview), who had 14 points (including three three-pointers), five assists, and five rebounds. Junior center Ashley Thompson (Bellingham, Mass./Blackstone Valley Regional) also contributed six points, four rebounds, three assists and a game-high four steals.
The first half was a tale of two quarters; the first quarter saw a lot of scoring, with the Wildcats leading 17-16 after ten minutes. The second quarter was more of a defensive struggle, as both teams had seven points and Johnson & Wales led 24-23 at the half.
The third quarter was an extension of the second; Johnson & Wales outscored the Judges 11-10 and took a 35-33 lead into the final period. Thompson made the first bucket of the fourth, but after that it was all Brandeis, as the Judges went on an 11-0 run over the final 9:52 of the game. Brandeis went 4-6 from the charity stripe down the stretch to put the game away.
The biggest factor in the game going to the Judges was rebounding. Brandeis had 58 boards (including 20 offensive) to the Wildcats' 30, which enabled the Judges to overwhelm Johnson & Wales with sheer quantity of shots.