WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team led nearly wire-to-wire tonight, putting six players in double figures in scoring, as the Judges opened their 2025-26 campaign with an 80-53 win over local rivals Regis College in the first round of the Brandeis Invitational presented by the Park Lodge Hotel Group.
TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 1-0.
• Regis, 0-1.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• After the Pride scored the first two buckets of the game off Brandeis miscues and the teams traded the next two hoops, to make it 6-2, Brandeis scored the next nine points of the game and never looked back.
• A free throw by senior Katherine Vaughan (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) knotted the game at 6, and her steal led to a fast-break hoop from junior Sofia Berisha (Old Tappan, N.J./Winchendon School) as the Judges never looked back.
• Brandeis used a balanced attack to open up leads of 19-12 after one quarter and 40-23 at halftime, with sophomore Ava Skladanowski (Apex, N.C./Middle Creek) beating the buzzer with a 3-pointer.
• The Judges extended to as many as 28 points midway through the fourth quarter to finish with the 27-point victory.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Leading the Judges' double-digit brigade were senior Abby Kennedy (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) and sophomore Saviah Shabazz (Plano, Texas/Plano West), who had identical stat lines of 13 points, eight rebounds and three assists.  
• For Shabazz, it was a career-high in scoring, while Kennedy reached double figures for the 16^th time in her career.
• Berisha netted 12 points and also had eight boards and three helpers, all career-bests.
• Junior Claire Candela (Maynard, Mass./Milton Acad.) and Skladanowski each had 11 points, career-highs for both.
• Vaughan finished with 10 points and 10 rebounds, marking the fourth double-double of her career.
• Brandeis's career leader in blocked shots, Vaughan eclipsed the century mark with four rejections tonight to put her at 101 all-time.
• Senior Maya Williams (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union) made her presence felt on the glass, grabbing a game- and career-high 16 rebounds, more than any two Pride players combined.
• Williams helped the Judges outrebound Regis, 64-29, including 22-7 on the offensive glass. Brandeis had as many boards off their own misses as their opponents.
• Regis's Jillian Perry matched Kennedy and Shabazz with 13 points, while Madi Zancan had 10 points and a team-high eight rebounds.  

UP NEXT

• Brandeis will meet Swarthmore College tomorrow at 2 p.m. in the final game of the Brandeis Invitational. Regis will meet two-time defending Division III champions NYU at noon.