The Brandeis women’s basketball team took two of three games centering Thanksgiving break.
The Judges started their Thanksgiving break with a game on Tuesday, Nov. 21, at Emmanuel College, winning 66 to 55. The game was closer than the final score led on, with the Judges trailing Emmanuel at halftime, 23-27. Emmanuel maintained their lead through the third quarter, with the two teams tied at 21-21 for scoring the third quarter. However, the Judges, determined not to leave with a loss, produced some of their strongest defense of the night, holding Emmanuel to just two free throws over the first seven and a half minutes of the final period. The Judges’ offense seemed to come alive as well, shooting 41 percent from the floor and 64 percent from the line to secure the win over Emmanuel college in the final quarter of the game.
The underclassmen delivered for the Judges against Emmanuel. Jillian Petrie ’21 was the game’s high scorer with 16 points and eight rebounds, while teammate Katie Goncalo ’20 earned 13 points, five rebounds and four assists. However, the effort was not completely on the two young starters’ shoulders, with all five starters scoring in the game, and four girls off the bench contributing to the win as well. Starter Hannah Nicholson ’20 was the leader in rebounds with 11 in the game, and guard Camila Casanueva ’21 produced a career best five assists in her performance off the bench.
In the Judges’ game against the undefeated Tufts University on Sunday night, the women’s basketball team finished off their Thanksgiving break with a tough 41-62 loss against the rival university at home. Tufts started the game strong with a 13-0 run against the Judges. Brandeis threatened to close the gap in the second quarter, but the Tufts Jumbos started the second half of the game the same way they started the first half, with a quick run to secure the lead that carried them through to the end of the game. The Jumbos did not only outscore the Judges, but outrebounded them, 36-28, while maintaining the advantage in blocks and steals as well.
Nicholson had a standout performance for the Judges against Tufts, tying for high score with six points and leading the team in rebounds with 10 for the game. Eva Hart ’18, Lauren Rubenstein ’20 and Sarah Jaromin ’19 tied Nicholson for high score, each contributing six points of their own toward the losing effort.
This past Tuesday night the Judges were determined to redeem themselves in a home game against Salem State. The women’s basketball team beat their opponent 68-48, leading the Salem State University Vikings in every quarter. The Judges pulled just ahead of the Vikings in the first quarter, leading 16-14 at the end. Even though the Judges maintained their lead throughout the game, it wasn’t until the fourth quarter that they were able to pull solidly ahead, keeping their opponent to only six points in the fourth quarter.
The Judges outshined Salem State in every category, including rebounds, assists and field goal percentage, with Brandeis shooting 40.7 percent in the game versus the Vikings’ 28.1 percent. Goncalo led the team in scoring, with a career high 18 points, including two three-pointers, while also racking up eight rebounds.
The Judges had 10 players contribute to the win, with Jaromin contributing 13 points off the bench and Joelle MarkAnthony ’19 earning a career-high 11 points. Six of MarkAnthony’s points came in the second quarter as a crucial part of the team’s nine point lead going into halftime. Petrie hit double digits in rebounds for the Judges, establishing a career-high 10 boards. Goncalo was close behind Petrie in rebounds, while Nicholson and Casanueva produced six rebounds each in the effort against Salem State.
The Brandeis women’s basketball team goes into their next game with a 4-2 record so far this season. The Judges will face off against Babson on Monday, Dec. 4 at home in Auerbach Arena at 6 p.m.
