WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team erased a seven-point deficit in the fourth quarter, but the Judges couldn't hold on down the stretch as visiting Eastern Nazarene College closed on a 15-3 run to take a 70-59 non-conference victory in Red Auerbach Arena tonight.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 1-2.
• Eastern Nazarene: 3-0.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The first two quarters were tight affairs, with ENC owning a 12-11 lead after one period and 27-23 advantage at the break.  The first half featured five ties and five lead changes.
• Brandeis got nine points from junior Caitlin Gresko (Howell, N.J./Howell) in the first half, while senior Selenya Gonzalez (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) had eight. ENC had a balanced line-up with two players scoring six points and two more adding five.
•  Brandeis added three more ties in the third period, including 3-pointers by graduate student Francesca Marchese (Staten Island, N.Y/Staten Island Academy) and sophomore Molly James (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair), who knotted things up at 36-all with 5:46 on the clock.
• Brandeis extended the lead to their largest of the game at five points on back-to-back hoops, including a 3-pointer, by junior Mollie Obar (North Yarmouth, Maine/Greely) that made it 41-36 with 4:11 left in the quarter.
• James connected on another 3-pointer, but ENC closed the stanza on a 6-2 run thanks to Alexandria Paquet, who hit a trifecta of her own followed by a traditional three-point play to make it a 48-47 lead in favor of the Judges entering the final period.
• ENC turned up their full-court pressure in the fourth, scoring the first eight points of the period thanks to the defensive play of Genesis McNeil. McNeil had steals on three-straight possessions to help the Lions build a 55-48 lead just over four minutes into the fourth.
• The Judges battled back thanks to a spurt from beyond the arc. After James halted the Lions' momentum from the free-throw line, Gresko and Marchese each dialed long distance, with the latter giving Brandeis a 56-55 lead with 4:38 to go.
• Unfortunately, the Judges hit only one field goal the rest of the way, as ENC scored 15 of the last 18 points. The Lions held Brandeis to 1-for-8 from the floor with five turnovers down the stretch, while hitting 7-of-8 from the line down the stretch to keep the Judges at bay.
• Eastern Nazarene scored 12 of their 23 fourth-quarter points off Brandeis turnovers, the same amount they had in the first three periods.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Brandeis was paced by Gresko, who finished with 16 points and eight assists, both team-highs, and the latter a career-best. She was involved in 13 of the team's 18 baskets – making five of her own and assisting eight more. Gresko also had six rebounds.
• Marchese added 12 points on 4-of-7 from 3-point range with five rebounds and four assists.
• James finished just short of her first career double-double with 10 points and a team- and career-high nine rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.
• ENC got a game-high 20 points from Paquet, all coming in the second half. After going 0-for-3 from the field in the first 20 minutes, she was 6-for-16 in the second, 3-for-4 from 3-point range, and 5-for-5 from the line.
• McNeil had 14 points, six rebounds and seven steals, a figure she has reached in each of her first three career games. She also tied for the Lions' team high with three assists.
• Sabanna Berrios contribute eight points off the bench for the visitors, while Kayla Taylor led the way with eight rebounds for ENC.

UP NEXT

• The Judges will face off against a couple of regional powers on the road in their next two games, at #4/9 Tufts on Saturday at 1 p.m. and at #13/15 Babson next Tuesday at 6 p.m.