CHICAGO, Ill. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team outscored the host University of Chicago Maroons 8-2 in overtime today, with grad transfer
Elena Delicado (Madrid, Spain/ IES Parque de Lisboa) scoring the only two baskets of the extra session in her season debut as the Judges defeated the Maroons, 72-66, in University Athletic Association action.
TEAM RECORDS
- Brandeis: 10-8, 3-4 UAA.
- Chicago: 12-6, 2-5 UAA.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It looked like Chicago might put this one away early as the Maroons opened the game on a 17-7 run over the first 6:12 of the contest.
- Brandeis answered by scoring the next nine points, holding the hosts to just one free throw for the final 3:47 of the quarter.
- Junior Brooke Reed (Chantilly, Va./Westfield) hit a lay-up with 1:32 that got Brandeis within 17-16.
- Neither team scored from the field for the rest of the period, as a late UC free throw gave them an 18-16 lead after one.
- The Maroons didn't trail in the second period, but Brandeis didn't allow them to pull away, either, keeping the game within two possessions. A 6-0 run from the Judges tied the game at 28 on a 3-pointer by senior Mollie Obar (North Yarmouth, Maine/Greely) with 1:12 to go.
- Chicago closed on a 5-2 run to take a three-point lead into the locker room, 33-30.
- Brandeis senior Lulu Ohm (Waltham, Mass./Waltham) scored seven of her 11 first-half points in the second period. Chicago's Katie Gross also scored 11 before the break.
- Brandeis came roaring out in the second half, opening on a 12-2 run over the first 5:06.
- Junior Abby Kennedy (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) scored the first buckets of the half to give Brandeis its first lead, and an Ohm 3-pointer just past the halfway point of the stanza made it 42-35 in favor of the Judges.
- Brandeis was able to keep it at a two-possession game the rest of the period, with two late free throws allowing UC to get within five, 46-41, entering the fourth.
- Another strong start to the final quarter of regulation saw Brandeis take its biggest lead at 51-41 72 seconds in on a bucket by junior Katherine Vaughan (Bedford, Mass./Bedford).
- A key exchange came with 4:29 left in regulation. After Ohm hit a 3-pointer to put Brandeis ahead, 59-50, the Judges were whistled for a technical underneath the net.
- Chicago's Bella Alfaro hit both free throws and a 3-pointer on the ensuing possession, getting the hosts within four points.
- The Judges were ahead, 64-59, after Delicado hit 1-of-2 from the line with 54 seconds to go, but Chicago's Sophia North buried a corner 3-pointer on the Maroons' next possession.
- Brandeis had a chance to push the lead back to two possessions, but missed a pair of foul shots, allowing Chicago a chance to tie things up, and they were able to do that on an in-bounds play for North with 6.4 seconds remaining that made it 64-64. Ohm got a shot off to try to win it, but was unable to convert.
- In overtime, after each team came up empty on its first two possessions, Delicado backed down her defender and hit a hook shot to give Brandeis the 66-64 lead with 3:39 to go.
- After some tight defense kept things scoreless for the next two minutes, the Maroons had a chance to tie or go ahead from the line, but hit just one of their next four foul shots.
- Delicado connected on another lay-up with 1:03 remaining, and the Judges drew an offensive foul on Chicago on the next possession. They hit 4-of-6 from the line to keep UC at bay.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Ohm, the UAA's leading scorer, led all players with 24 points. Though she was 8-for-23 overall, Ohm hit 4-of-7 from beyond the arc and 4-of-4 from the line. She also played a career-high 41 minutes in the contest.
- First-year Jessica Maina (Bradford, Mass./Brooks School) added 11 points off the bench, hitting 3-of-4 from 3-point range with a pair of free throws.
- Obar and Kennedy each scored eight points, while Delicado's six points proved crucial.
- The graduate transfer from Division I Binghamton made her season debut for the Judges and was 3-of-4 from the field and the line. She also tied for team-high honors with four rebounds and led the Judges with four assists without a turnover.
- Chicago had three scorers in double figures – Gross had 15, Alfaro added 12 and North had 11.
- Gross also led all players with eight rebounds, as the Maroons owned the boards, 43-28, including 12-6 on the offensive glass.
- Brandeis made up for the deficit by winning the turnover battle, 21-11, and outscoring the hosts, 18-12, in points off the miscues.
BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- With the win, the Judges double their overall win total from 2023-24, reaching double figures in wins for the first time since 2019-20.
- Their three UAA wins are the team's most since the 2021-22 campaign.
- The win over Chicago is the first for Brandeis since 2013, snapping a 20-game skid against the Maroons. It's their first win in the Windy City since 2007, a span of 16 straight games.
UP NEXT
- The Judges return home to face the same opponents from this weekend in Red Auerbach Arena, starting on Friday evening at 7:30 p.m. for a Pride Night game against #24 Washington University.