In the sports world, there are many unwritten rules, but Saturday, the Brandeis Judges introduced what should be included if not already an unwritten rule-if you commit 35 turnovers in a game, especially in the playoffs, you are not going to win. It was a bitter pill for the Judges to swallow as they could only walk away on the wrong side of a 71-66 defeat.

Emmanuel College Saints Coach Andy Yosinoff explained to reporters, The game plan after watching them yesterday: Number one, we had to shut down ten (Jaime Capra 08). After 25 points in the first half yesterday, I lost a lot of sleep. The main objective was shutting down ten;

we werent going to let her beat us. The other thing was that we didnt want to give them any room. I think we took away a lot of their looks and every pass they made, they had to work for it.

We didnt handle it well. Coach Carol Simon said. I dont think we attacked it well. And its amazing, you have 35 turnovers, 19 less shots and only lose by five, I think that says the ball game right there. We get a few more shots and its a different game.

The Judges started the first half in strong fashion with co-captain Caitlin Malcolm 07 scoring at will.

We wanted to get down low because we knew they werent as big down there. Coach Simon explained. Malcolm scored the Judges' first 10 points and would go on to finish her collegiate career with a double-double, 23 points and 14 rebounds. The first half bogged down as Emmanuel took advantage of Brandeis miscues to cut the lead to two before Brandeis went on a 13-2 run to build up a 13-point lead. However, Emmanuels swarming full-court press was starting to have its effect on the Judges as the Saints scored seven points in the final ninety seconds of the first half to trail Brandeis only 39-32 at the half. Although Brandeis held the lead, momentum had clearly shifted.

My adjustment was that we started off playing man and then, were not very big, so my adjustment was [going to] a 2-3 zone, Yosinoff explained. We had some success, but I thought the zone press cost us in the first half.

The Judges started the second half on a positive note, scoring the first four points. It was not the case for long, however, as Emmanuel kept hammering away at Brandeis until a Leah Lipschitz jumper tied the game with 13:47 remaining.

I think the second half, when our team put it together, we knew we could do it, Emmanuel's Jade Paez stated. I felt that we played defense hard, we came together as a team, the crowd got into it, we got into it, we just played our hearts out.

Lauren Rashford 10 provided Brandeis with borrowed time with a three pointer, but it was not to be, as Iman Daviss three, the only one Emmanuel made, gave them the lead for the first time and a jumper by Brittany Bushman gave the Saints the lead for good. Despite their efforts, Brandeis couldnt crack the full court press, and in the final minutes couldnt even get a shot off.

Coach Simon summed it up: Bottom line was 35 turnovers. You dont have to be a brain surgeon to figure that one out.

Jaime Capra '08 followed up on her Friday heroics with a miserable performance, scrapping together 10 points on 5-14 shooting. She was able to pull down eight rebounds, which was one more than the team leading seven turnovers she had. Even more telling were that she had no foul shots and her visible frustration. Rookie Jessica Chapin 10 came on strong, making three straight three point attempts and finished with 11 points, but was shut out of the second half. Co-captain Alison Chase 07 finished her collegiate career in quiet fashion, converting her only shot attempt in ten minutes of action.

Brandeis had no answer for Emmanuels full court press. The Saints converted Brandeiss 35 turnovers into 36 points and held the Judges to 29% field goal shooting in the second half. The free throw-shooting woes that doomed the Judges in their final regular season game against NYU returned as Brandeis was 12-20 in the second half.

Emmanuel was led by rookie Iman Davis, who matched Malcolm with 24 points of her own, while fellow rookie Tommia Davis had 15 points and eight rebounds. Paez rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points and eight assists, a game high. The Saints managed to prevail despite being out-rebounded 49-31 and shot a dreadful 16-27 from the charity stripe.

I think what we didnt do well was we didnt look up-court really well.” Simon said, “Youre not going to beat their press by dribbling and again its easier said than done. Theyre just so athletic in every position that its really hard to make that long pass when two or three kids are on you. We just werent getting to open spaces, and you have to give Emmanuel all the credit in the world. They did what they were supposed to do to beat us.

The opening game last Friday seemed to work out perfectly for Brandeis. Capra scorched the defense and posted a career high 33 points in 32 minutes, while shooting a perfect 4-4 from beyond the arc, helping the Judges cruise to a 90-66 victory over the University of Maine at Farmington. The beginning of the game was dominated by Capra, who scored 14 of the Judges' first 24 points. Capra outscored the entire Maine-Farmington squad in the first half with a total of 25 points to the Beavers' 23 overall.

She definitely took the wind out of our sails, said UMF Coach Jamie Beaudoin.
Capra and the Judges were both red hot from beyond the arc, going 8-13 in the first half and 10-19 on the game. UMF on the other hand shot 6-21 for the game. Coach Simon stated, I thought our defense was great. We really made an adjustment. We just got to play our game and whatever it is, it is.

Emmanuel was a bitter end to the collegiate careers of Caitlin Malcolm and Alison Chase. Malcolm finished her career as Brandeis career scoring champion with 1413 points, breaking the record held by Rachel Perry 92 on Feb. 11. Malcolm is also third in rebounds with 770 and fourth in steals with 201. The focal point of the offense along with Capra, Malcolm often faced double teams throughout the season and still managed to average 11.1 points per game and lead the team with 6.2 rebounds per game. After the game, Malcolm was speechless;

only silence holding back the emotion leaving Coach Simon to speak for her co-captain.

She left it on the court today…Im going to speak for her when I say, she should have no regrets.

Chase, although a starter, played a quieter role on the team. Averaging 5.5 points, she tied Jessica Chapin with 1.8 steals per game, second only to Malcolm. During the regular season, she set personal records with six rebounds against Carnegie-Mellon on Feb. 9 and swiped the ball from NYU seven times on Jan. 13. Her finest moment, though, came in last years playoff action against Bowdoin, where she scored 14 points, including a clutch three that tied the game in the final minute, leading Coach Simon to refer to her as their stealth bomber.

Ali is that unsung hero that nobody plays or hears about, Coach Simon stated. Did she have a great game? Probably not, but overall, Alis won a lot of big games for us with her defense and steals and again. Shes quiet and she just does her thing.

Chase and Malcolms departures will be felt, their contributions were crucial to Brandeis's four straight 20-win seasons and back-to-back NCAA appearances. Coach Simon described the impact they had on the team and the program in general as it evolved to a contender.

Again, I think that people like Ali and Caitlin have brought… Its what Brandeis basketball is now. Its a different type of demeanor. People come in here expecting to win. Recruits come in expecting that were going to make NCAA tournament and its not going to be given to us but they know theyre at a place where they are going to be playing with some good players.

Nonetheless, with the season done, there is little time for sentiments and Coach Simons eyes are already on next season.

Were going to miss Catie and Ali dearly, but this program has learned from them and you dont replace these kids, you just teach to do what they need to do.