The Brandeis women’s basketball team closed out their season with a 58-46 loss to Springfield College, a Division III team from Springfield, MA. With the loss, the Judges’ season ended as the team finished with a 12-13 overall record.
The Judges had a slow first half, getting outscored by 15 points in the first quarter and heading into halftime with a deficit of 12-28. The Judges went two for 16 in field goals in the first quarter and zero for eight in the second quarter.
The women attempted to fight back to eliminate the team’s early deficit in the third quarter, coming within five points of their opponent. The Judges outscored Springfield by 11 points and shot 8-for-18 from the field, led by rookie player Katherine Puda ’21, who earned eight of her ten points in the third quarter alone.
Springfield proved to be too much for the Judges in the fourth quarter as the team was outscored by seven points in the quarter, securing the Judges’ fate and knocking them out of the ECAC tournament. The Judges’ field goal percentage was 29.3 percent, while their three-point percentage was 11.8 percent. However, the Judges shined from the foul line with a free throw percentage of 71.4 percent.
Senior guards and starters Noel Hodges ’18 and Eva Hart ’18 played in their final game for the Judges. Hodges finished with a team high of ten points, adding an additional three rebounds and two assists. Hart earned five points and five rebounds against Springfield as well.
Other top performers for the Judges included Puda with 10 points and Katie Goncalo ’20 with eight points. On the defensive end, Hart, Camila Casanueva ’21 and Hannah Nicholson ’20 tied for most rebounds, with five apiece. Nicholson also contributed six points to the effort, while Casanueva earned two points in the game.
Despite losing Hart and Hodges, the Judges retain several young, core players. Hannah Nicholson ’20, a second team All-UAA athlete, and rookie Camila Casanueva ’21, winner of the UAA Rookie of the Year, will lead the Judges into their 2018-2019 season.
