Now that Thanksgiving break has passed and all fall athletics have concluded, the women’s basketball team has stepped up to represent the Judges. They have already played eight games to open their season, and they currently have a record of 4-4. Senior guard Lulu Ohm ’25 has led the Judges to some powerful wins, and has set a couple program records already. The Judges are off to a solid start and have a lot to look forward to as they continue their season.
To jump right into the game recaps, the Judges’ first game was also their home opener. As it was the women’s first game under new head coach, Julie Prichett, they were excited to get started at home. For this game, the Judges hosted the Framingham State University (FSU) Rams on Nov. 8. This game was the first of two that the Judges played in their Brandeis Invitational tournament. The major story of this game was Ohm ’25 who set a new school record for single-game scoring with 37 points. Coincidentally, the previous record was 36 and it was set by new athletic director, Jessica Chapin ’10. Breaking a record that stood for 14-years was a thrilling way for Ohm ’25 to lead her team into their 2024-25 season. The Judges were leading at the half and out-shot the Rams in every period but the third. Ohm ’25, Jessica Maina ’28 and Katherine Vaughan ’26 combined for all but two of the Judges’ 74 points. With such a dominating game, the Judges won 74-58 against the FSU Rams.
The following day, the Judges closed out their invitational tournament with a game against the George Fox University (GFU) Bruins of Newberg, Oregon. The game started off evenly matched in the first period as both teams scored 15 points, though the Judges were unable to maintain their momentum as they were held to points in the single digits in the second period. After going into the half down by five points, the Judges were looking for redemption in the third period. They started off strong with an 11-4 run to open things up, however, those were the only points the GFU Bruins allowed. The fourth period was looking promising for the Judges as a pair of free throws from Vaughan ’26 put the Judges within a one-possession game at 46-43, but GFU answered with a trifecta to double their lead. The Judges ultimately fell 58-49 against the GFU Bruins. Ohm ’25 led the Judges with a game-high of 16 points in this game. Another positive stat for the Judges was that they also had the overall rebounding edge, 34-33.
Looking to better capitalize on their potential, the Judges played their first away game against the UMass Boston Beacons on Nov. 13. Vaughan ’26 led the Judges with a stellar performance offensively and defensively as she earned game-high honors with 14 points, hitting 4-of-8 from the field, 6-of-8 from the line, and eight rebounds with four being offensive. Ohm ’25 also had 14 points, hitting 4-of-10 overall and 2-of-4 from deep, and grabbed seven rebounds, tying her career-high. The Judges dominated the entire game as they out-shot the Beacons in every period and held them to single-digit points in the first and third periods. The final score was 50-37, Judges.
For their fourth game of the season, the Judges hosted the Tufts University Jumbos in another home game. Our women had a leg up on the Jumbos as they had already played three games while this was Tufts’ first game of the season. The Judges started out strong in the first period with the 19-17 edge over the Jumbos, however, they were nearly out-shot by double in the second quarter. The half ended with the Jumbos leading by six points. The third quarter was evenly matched as the Judges outperformed the Jumbos 12-11. After this, the game picked up pace in the final period as Tufts scored 21 points and the Judges scored 20. The Jumbos’ led by as much as 13 at one point in this period, but the Judges closed that deficit down to two points. Despite their strong rally in the final moments of the game, the Judges ultimately fell 61-67 against our Jumbo neighbors. Ohm ’25 led the Judges in points for the fourth time this season with 26, scoring 20 or more points in a game for the second time this season. She hit 9-of-22 from the field, 2-of-7 from 3-point range, and 6-of-8 from the line. Caitlin Gresko ’26 was the only other Brandeis player to score in double figures with 10 points. She also led the Judges with five assists.
Next, the Judges hosted the Rivier University Raiders on Nov. 19 in one of their more exciting games thus far. Brandeis started off strong as they usually do in the first period. They led 17 to the Raider’s 13 points. However, they lost their steam in the middle two quarters as they scored just nine points in both. Not wanting to accept defeat, the Judges flipped a switch with eight and a half minutes remaining in the game. They took off on a 17-0 run and did not look back. Ohm ’25 scored nine points in the streak, while first-years Saviah Shabazz ’28 and Maina ’28 each hit key 3-pointers. Having scored 34 points in the fourth quarter, the Judges pulled out a decisive 69-56 win against the Rivier Raiders. This dominant fourth quarter streak must have been quite the shock as the Judges scored 35 points across the previous three quarters, yet they scored 34 additional points just in the fourth quarter; just remarkable!
In the Judges’ most recent away game, they faced the UMass Dartmouth (UMD) Buccaneers. This game was close throughout as there were 11 lead changes and two ties. It all came down to the fourth quarter once again, yet the Judges were on the other side this time. Opposing UMD took off with an 11 point run to open the fourth quarter and that is what ultimately decided the game. The Judges wound up losing 71-81 against UMD. Despite their loss, this was a good game for the Judges in terms of point scoring. In terms of stats, Brooke Reed ’25 led all players with 10 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass; her third-straight game with 10 or more. Claire Candela ’27 also had an exciting day as she scored a career-high 10 points for the Judges.
For their last game of November, the women’s basketball team hosted the neighboring Babson College Beavers. This game followed a similar trend to that of their previous games. They got off to an alright start, and then picked up the momentum in the fourth quarter. On some occasions, this has been enough for the Judges to pull out the win, but this game was not one of them. Though they did cut a 10-point deficit to four in the fourth quarter, it was not enough to claim the dub. The final score of the game was 63-52, the Babson Beavers victorious. Despite the loss, Abby Kennedy ’26 scored a career-high 14 points off the bench in just her third game of the season. She was 5-for-9 from the floor, 1-for-1 from 3-point range, and 3-for-4 from the line.
In their most recent game, the Judges hosted the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) Engineers this past Tue., Nov. 3rd. Ohm ’25 set another record this season, as she was the fourth player in Brandeis history to have multiple 30 point games in a single season. The game was close in the first period, but the Judges extended their lead in the second and third. In the fourth, the Engineers tried to make a comeback as they scored 20 points, but the Judges stepped up defensively to capture the 67-59 win against MIT. Statistically, the Judges had a 14-8 advantage in second-chance points and 36-24 edge in points in the paint, while MIT led in bench points, 18-9, and points off turnovers, including 13-4 in the second half.
Looking ahead, the Judges have one more game left this semester next Tuesday, Dec. 10, and then they will start back up again after break on Jan. 4. The Judges have just three non-conference games until they start facing their University Athletic Association conference competitors in January.
