The Brandeis women’s basketball started the season off with four straight wins, however they proceeded to lose their next three to close out the first month of the season. These games were close, but the Judges will start their season 4-3.
On Nov. 20, the Judges faced Tufts University as they looked to maintain their winning streak. The first quarter of the game saw the Judges play efficient offense and solid defense. Guard Camila Casanueva ’22 led the team in scoring with seven points and four rebounds. Forward Emma Reavis ’23 had six points and two assists. Overall, Brandeis shot 50 percent from the field, while holding Tufts to just 19 percent. The first quarter saw Brandeis go to a quick 27-12 lead. In the second quarter, Tufts outscored Brandeis 22-16. Although both teams shot similarly, Brandeis had seven turnovers in the quarter compared to Tufts’ one. Guard Francesca Marchese ’23 had two three pointers within the quarter. The Judges were again outscored in the third quarter as the team struggled to shoot efficiently in the quarter. Overall, the team shot 37.5 percent from the field and 25 percent from three. Going into the final quarter of the game, the Judges still led 62-56. However, Tufts found their three-point shot and turned the tides. This led to a Brandeis loss of 77-81. Casanueva ended the game with 20 points and 13 rebounds. Marchese added 15 points while shooting 55.6 percent from the field.
The Judges then moved on to face Babson College on Nov. 23. The Judges shot 23.5 percent from the field and only scored 12 points compared to Babson’s 20. Casanueva had eight in the quarter and senior forward Kerry Tanke ’22 had four. The second quarter was much closer. Although Brandeis got outscored 16-17, they were picking up the scoring as they shot 53.8% from the field. Reavis led the team in scoring with six in the quarter. In the third quarter, the Judges narrowed the gap by scoring 24 points within the quarter. They were solid from three, as they had 18 points just from three pointers. Freshman forward Mollie Obar ’25 had five points from the reserves. Brandeis entered the fourth quarter down by nine points. After a strong third quarter, it looked like they could make the comeback. However, the shooting went cold as the team only made three shots in the final quarter. This resulted in a 65-81 loss to Babson College. Casanueva led the team in scoring with 18 and Marchese added 11. Although both teams did not shoot efficiently in the game, Babson outrebounded Brandeis 50-34, which was key in their victory.
Brandeis looked to get out of the two-game losing streak with a win against Roger Williams University on Nov. 29. The Judges in the first quarter started off cold. They only made three shots and scored 10 points. Even with a slow start from the offense, the team played solid defense. The Judges held Roger Williams to just 13 points to keep the game close. Brandeis then proceeded to outscore Roger Williams 16-15 in the second quarter. Tanke had an all-around solid quarter with three rebounds, two points and a steal. Freshman forward Caitlin Gresko ’25 led the team in scoring with four points in the quarter. The third quarter had only two scorers from Brandeis. Reavis had ten points and Gresko had seven points. The two combined to score seven points from the free throw line in the quarter. This quarter brought the score to 44-43 in favor of Roger Williams. The lead for Roger Williams started out small, but they ultimately pulled away in the fourth quarter to give a final score of 71-60. Roger Williams scored 15 points on free throws in the final quarter, as the Judges had 11 fouls. Casanueva led the team in scoring with 15 points in the game. Reavis and Gresko combined for 27 points and 10 rebounds. Tanke led the team in rebounds with 11.
The Judges look to end the losing streak as they play Bridgewater State University on Dec. 2. They will then play Eastern Nazarene College on Dec. 7 before a short break.
Editor’s note: Francesca Marchese is a staff writer for The Hoot and did not contribute to the writing or editing of this article.
