As temperatures outside drop to the single digits, the temperature on the women’s basketball court has only gone up. Since their final game of the fall semester, the women’s basketball team has played six games, three of which were University Athletic Association (UAA) games. These few UAA games were the first in-conference games of the season that the Judges played in. The dates of these games ranged from Dec. 10 to Jan. 19.
The first game of the recap and the final game that the Judges played in 2024 was against the Bridgewater State University (BSU) Bears on Dec. 10. This was also the last day of classes for your Judges. The game started out slow for the Judges as they were outscored 13-18 and 12-19 in the first and second quarters, respectively. Despite this, they bounced back with a huge third-quarter rebound in which they scored 28 points to cut the 15-point deficit they were initially faced with. The Judges also had a strong final quarter which placed them on top by the buzzer with a score of 70-64. This deficit could not have been overcome if not for senior Judge, Lulu Ohm ’25 who scored 12 of her game-high 24-points in the fourth quarter to take down the BSU Bears. The Judges also stepped up in terms of rebounds as they had a 51-33 rebound advantage over the Bears. Leading the Judges in rebounds was Katherine Vaughan ’26.
After the holiday break, the Judges returned to campus for their first game of 2025. This game was hosted by the opposing Clark University Cougars in Worcester, MA. From the tipoff, the Judges led the Cougars in points from wire-to wire. Having such a dominant showing in this first game back seemingly displayed what some quality family time can do to help aid recovery before getting back to it. Or the Judges were just excited to be back to it! The Judges came out on top with a winning score of 75-60 over the Clark Cougars. The Judges never trailed once, and that was thanks to their remarkable defense and rebounding during the game. With a rebound advantage of 50-39, the Judges earned another leg up on the Cougars. Even with Ohm ’25 missing due to an early second foul, the Judges prevailed.
Another exciting factoid about this game was that, with this win, the Judges had already surpassed their win total from their 2023-24 season. Having reached this threshold well before the midpoint of the 2024-25 season is a big deal and a sign of how much improvement this basketball team has made. Additionally, the Judges also sealed the deal on clinching a winning non-conference record for the season after this win.
Just two days later, the Judges faced another opponent from Worcester, MA. This time it was the Judges hosting the Worcester State University (WSU) Lancers in Red Auerbach Arena. Having only been outscored in a single quarter of the game, the Judges led themselves to a 65-48 win against the WSU Lancers. The Judges fought hard for this win as there were six ties and five lead changes that took place during this game. Especially notable about this game was Ohm’s performance; leading the team in scoring, rebounding and assists. She also had a strong defensive play late in the game which held the Lancers without a field goal in the fourth quarter. With this solid win, the Judges had officially closed out their non-conference play for the season.
Coming away from the non-conference season with a four-game win streak was the confidence the Judges needed going into their conference season play.
First up for UAA competitors were the #1 ranked New York University (NYU) Violets. Facing the top-ranked and defending National Champion team in Division III women’s basketball is no easy feat, but the Judges fought hard. Despite losing 41-95 against the Violets, the Judges were led by Abby Kennedy ’26 who led the Judges with nine points scored. The Judges never possessed the lead and were unfortunately held to scoring in the single digits in the second and third quarter. Despite this, they bounced back to a point total in the double digits during the final quarter.
Getting beat by this large of a margin is not easy for any team in any sport, but looking at it from the perspective of iron-sharpens-iron, the Judges are being challenged and are improving while doing so. NYU is doing a lot of things right. By facing them, our Judges surely learned lessons and ways they can improve their game.
Following their tough outing against the Violets, the Judges bounced back six days later when they faced the University of Rochester Yellowjackets. The Judges came out strong as they won the first quarter 18-5, however, they seemed to lose their groove in the middle two periods as they were held to 10 points in each. Despite this, they rebounded in the fourth quarter with their most dominant play we have seen in a bit. The Judges scored 20 points in the fourth quarter while silencing their opponents. They only allowed the Yellowjackets three points. This put the Judges on top, winning by a score of 58-41. Leading the Judges in point scoring were Ohm ’25 and Kennedy ’26 who scored a combined 37 of the Judges’ 58 points. Brooke Reed ’25 also had a dominant performance defensively with a game and career high 18 rebounds. This number of rebounds was the most in a game by a Brandeis player since 2015 and only three points shy of tying the school record of 21, last accomplished in 1998.
In their most recent game, the Judges faced the Emory University Eagles in a home game this past Sunday. This game was tight from the beginning. The Judges came out strong, winning the first period 28-21. However, they seemed to lose their momentum for the remainder of the game as they were outscored in the remaining three periods, though only by small margins. The Eagles came out on top in a close score of 65-62. In terms of stats, Vaughan ’26 led the Judges with 15 points while Kennedy ’26 had 13 and Ohm ’25 had 12. In another strong defensive game, Reed ’25 led all players in rebounds with 13.
Looking ahead, the Judges will be traveling to Cleveland, OH to face the Case Western Reserve University Spartans on Friday, Jan. 24, and then they will head to Pittsburgh, PA for a game against the Carnegie Mellon University Tartans on Sunday, Jan. 26. The Judges will not play at home again until Feb. 7. To support your Judges from afar, check out brandeisjudges.com for live stats and live streams of the Judges’ games!
