WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team dropped a 73-63 University Athletic Association contest to visiting Carnegie Mellon University today in Red Auerbach Arena at the midway point of the conference schedule. The Judges fall to 12-6 overall, 2-5 in the UAA, while the Tartans improve to 9-9, 2-5 UAA.
The Judges struggled shooting the ball from the outset, hitting just one of their first 10 shots from the field as CMU built a 12-6 lead. Back-to-back 3-pointers from Brandeis junior Jillian Petrie (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) and rookie Francesca Marchese (Staten Island, N.Y./Staten Island Academy) knotted the game at 12-12 with 1:53 to go in the first, but Carnegie Mellon answered with a pair of trifectas of their own. Leah Weslock beat the quarter buzzer to give the visitors an 18-12 lead after one.
CMU held the lead throughout the second period, going ahead by as many as nine points on several occasions. The Judges were still down six with Makayla Filiere hit jumper to put CMU ahead 33-27 with 1:55 left before the break. Judge junior guard Camila Casanueva (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos) answered with a 3-pointer and two free throws to get the hosts back within one, 33-32. The Tartans again beat the buzzer at the end of the stanza to take a 35-32 lead on Caitlyn Clendenin's put-back.
Carnegie Mellon opened the second half on a 9-2 run to take a 44-34 lead on two Megan Jaeb foul shots, and the Tartans were able to keep the Judges at bay throughout the second half. Brandeis got within two possessions on a number of occasions, but CMU was able to hold the hosts at bay. The Judges' closest margin in the fourth quarter came with 5:40 to after Marchese dialed long distance to make it 56-52, but a 10-4 run over the next 3-plus minutes put the game away.
Brandeis's leading scorer was Casanueva, who finished with 12 points on 3-of-9 from the field, including 2-of-5 from deep and 4-of-5 from the line. Senior Hannah Nicholson (Sunderland, Vt./Burr and Burton Academy) added nine points and six boards. Rookie Emma Reavis (Miami, Okla./Deerfield Academy) stuffed the stat sheet with seven points, eight assists, seven rebounds, three steals and a blocked shot. Her assist and rebound totals were both career-highs. The Judges shot just 34.5% from the field (19-55), their third-lowest shooting percentage of the season.
CMU put four starters in double figures in scoring. Weslock led all players with 19 points, hitting 6-of-8 overall, 2-of-3 from deep, and 4-of-5 from the line. Clendenin registered a double-double with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. She had seven on the offensive glass as the Tartans owned a 46-40 overall advantage on the boards, including 19-10 on the offensive end, leading to a 19-4 edge in second-chance points. Clendenin also led the visitors with four assists. Laurel Pereira finished with 12 points and Filiere had 10. CMU also won the turnover battle, 21-13, and had 16 points off turnovers while allowing just 11.
Brandeis and Carnegie Mellon will meet against next Sunday in Pittsburgh at 2 p.m. The Judges will first travel to Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland next Friday evening at 6 p.m.