The Judges had their most successful University Athletic Association (UAA) road trip of the season last weekend when they took down the Case Western Reserve University Spartans 65-56 on Friday night and the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans 59-50 on Sunday afternoon. With the wins they improved to 13-6 overall and 6-3 in UAA play. They are now ranked third in the UAA.
Guard Jessica Chapin ’10 was named the Player of the Week by the New England Women’s Basketball Association, Eastern College Athletic Conference Division III New England, and UAA and with good reason. Chapin averaged 27 points, 3.5 rebounds, three assists, and 2.5 steals in the games this past weekend. The co-captain also set two school records when she put up an incredible 36 points and made seven three-pointers in just nine attempts in the game against Carnegie Mellon. She also had her sixth career game with 25 or more points, tying the current school record.
Chapin started out her career weekend with 18 points, five assists, and five rebounds against the Spartans. Guard Diana Cincotta ’11 opened up the game with a three-pointer but Case Western responded with a pair of jump shots to take a 4-3 lead. Morgan Kendrew ’12 answered immediately with another trifecta to give the Judges the advantage, one they would not relinquish for the remainder of the game.
Less than seven minutes into the game Brandeis held an 18-9 lead over their hosts but the Spartans went on a 7-2 run to bring the game within just four points. With nine minutes remaining before the break Cincotta nailed a three-pointer to set off an unanswered 13-point run, bringing the game to 33-16. Brandeis continued to dominate most of the play before the break and went into the lockers with a 38-22 lead.
In the second half Brandeis started things off with a Kendrew layup and two foul shots from forward Shannon Hassan ’11 to bring their lead to 19 points. From that point on, though, the Spartans began to fight back, slowly chipping away at the Judges lead. With just over three minutes left to play, the hosts connected on two from the line to make it a single digit game with Brandeis still leading 58-49. In the remaining minutes the teams took turns from their lines but the Judges held on to finish things off with a 65-56 victory.
Chapin led the team with 18 points after shooting five of 11 from the floor and six of nine at the line. Cincotta added 13 points while Kendrew put up 12. Forward Amber Strodthoff ’11 led the Judges with seven rebounds.
Brandeis left Cleveland for Pittsburgh to continue their UAA weekend. The big story of the day was, of course, Chapin. The guard scored the first 11 points for the Judges, including three trifectas, in less than five minutes to give the visitors an 11-8 lead.
The opening stanza was extremely close, with seven ties in all. Both teams traded points and baskets in an effort to get ahead but were always brought back down. It was not until the last minute of the half that Brandeis was finally able to tie the game and take a lead they would hold onto thanks to a jumper by center Kasey Geischen ’10 and two from the line by Chapin. The Judges held a 28-26 lead going into the break. Despite allowing four ties early on in the second half, the Judges always answered back immediately to regain control. Chapin put up the first four points for Brandeis, making it a 32-39 game with 17:38 left to go.
With just over 12 minutes remaining in the game, Hassan nailed two freebies to break the final tie. From that point forward, little by little, Brandeis added to their lead. Chapin put up three three-pointers in the second to continue her monster game.
19 of Chapin’s 36 points came in the second half to help edge out the Tartans. In all she accounted for 61 percent of the scoring for the team. Hassan led with six rebounds while Cincotta led the team with three assists.
The Judges are next in action Friday night at 6 p.m. when they take on Washington University of St. Louis to continue their UAA play. They will then face off against the University of Chicago on Sunday at 2 p.m. The Brandeis basketball teams are requesting all fans in attendance at Friday night’s game to wear pink in support of the Women’s Basketball Coaches Association Pink Zone promotion, which raises awareness for breast cancer.
