WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis University women's basketball guards Abby Kennedy (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) and Sofia Berisha (Old Tappan, N.J./Winchendon School) combined for 45 points and 15 rebounds tonight as the Judges defeated visiting Rhode Island College, 77-66, in Red Auerbach Arena.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 3-0.
• Rhode Island College, 1-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Judges led for 36 minutes of this one. After RIC opened the game with nine of the first 14 points, Brandeis scored 13 unanswered to close out the first stanza.
• The hosts held their opponents scoreless for the final 5:44, claiming the lead for good on a Kennedy bucket with 3:37 left in the first half.
• Berisha had seven points off the bench in the period, while Kennedy added four.
• RIC clawed to within four points on a 3-pointer by Maggie McKitchen with 5:39 left in the first half at 25-21, but the Judges responded with an 11-3 run to open up a 12-point lead.
• Brandeis maintained the margin thanks to a late 3-pointer by sophomore Saviah Shabazz (Plano, Texas/Plano West) that made it 39-27 after two quarters.
• Berisha (11 points) and Kennedy (10 points) combined for 21 first-half points. Abby Wager of RIC had 10 points for the visitors.
• The Judges scored the first eight points of the second half to open up their largest lead, 47-27, on a bucket by junior Claire Candela (Maynard, Mass./Milton Academy).
• Aggressive RIC defense allowed the Anchorwomen got get back within 12 before the Judges took a 54-40 lead into the final period.
• RIC's pressure got them within 10 points at 64-54 on a Wager bucket with just under five minutes to go, but a 5-0 spurt by the Judges kept the visitors at bay, as Brandeis maintained their double-digit lead the rest of the way.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Kennedy and Berisha each finished with career scoring highs to lead the Judges.
• Kennedy notched 28 points, 18 coming in the second half, as she scored nine in each of the third and fourth quarters. She hit 10-of-23 from the field, 3-of-5 from 3-point range and 5-of-5 from the line, while also grabbing six rebounds.
• Berisha added a career-best 17 points on 8-of-13 from the field with a free throw. She also pulled down a game- and career-high nine rebounds.
• Candela also reached double figures with 10 points, while Shabazz established a career-best six assists.
• RIC's Wager had a fine performance in the losing effort, matching Kennedy's 28 points on 11-of-18 from the field, 1-of-2 from deep, and 5-of-7 from the line, with seven steals.
• Brandeis's 26 bench points and 18-12 edge in second-chance points helped offset the Anchorwomen's 25-8 advantage in fast-break scoring.

UP NEXT

• The Judges will play their first road game of the season on Saturday at Framingham State at noon.