WALTHAM, Mass. -- The Brandeis University women's basketball team picked up their first win of the season against a ranked opponent, defeating #8/9 Emory University, 62-56, in Red Auerbach Arena this evening. The Judges got a great all-around game from junior Sofia Berisha (Old Tappan, N.J./Winchendon School), who helped them outscore the Eagles, 19-5, in the final period, erasing a 10-point deficit.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 11-2, 1-1 UAA.
• Emory, 11-2, 1-1 UAA, #8 in WBCA National poll, #9 in D3hoops.com poll

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Judges and Eagles were dead even through the first half. Brandeis won the first period, 12-9, only to see Emory take the second, 16-13, as the teams were tied at 25-all at halftime.
• Both sides were extremely balanced in the first half, with seven players per team each scoring points. Lily Kennedy of Emory led all scorers with eight in the first, while Brandeis senior Katherine Vaughan (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) had six for the Judges.
• The Eagle offense caught fire in the third quarter, especially guard Tatum Olson. Emory hit 9-of-10 from the field, including all four 3-pointers, with Olson scoring a whopping 18 points. She hit all six of her shots, including three from beyond the arc and 3-of-4 from the line.
• Berisha kept the Judges within striking distance, scoring nine of her team's 18 points in the stanza.
• The Eagles also outrebounded Brandeis, 8-2, in the period as they carried a 51-43 lead into the fourth.
• Emory's Caroline Connelly would hit two free throws to open the scoring in the final stanza to give the Eagles their largest lead of the game at 10 points, 53-43.
• Brandeis's defense was outstanding from that point on, holding the visitors without a field goal until the final eight seconds of the game.
• The Judges scored 17 unanswered points, with Berisha hitting the team's only 3-pointer of the night from the left corner to get Brandeis within 53-52 with 6:34 left in the game.
• Vaughan's second-chance bucket with 4:28 left gave Brandeis the lead for good, 54-53.
• The teams traded empty possessions for the next three minutes, with Emory committing two offensive fouls in the span, before Brandeis sophomore Saviah Shabazz (Plano, Texas/Plano West) hit a driving lay-up with 1:21 on the clock to make it a three-point game.
• A Vaughan steal and bucket on an assist from Berisha created a two-possession game with 28 seconds to go, and the Judges held on for the upset, as they limited the Eagles to 1-of-12 shooting with six turnovers in the final period.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• Berisha did it all for the Judges, finishing with 20 points, four rebounds, four assists, four steals and three blocked shots. She scored 16 of her 20 points in the second half, as well as three of her four assists.
• The 20 points marked a new career-high in scoring, as did her three blocked shots.
• Vaughan added 12 points and a team-high five rebounds.
• Emory's Olson led all scorers with 23 points, while Lily Kennedy had 10. Mary Mullinax had a game-high eight rebounds and led the Eagles with three assists.
• Brandeis shot a steady 44.4% (24-54) from the field for the game, hitting at least 40 percent in all four quarters. They limited Emory to 38.5% (20-52), and below 40% in all but the third quarter, including the 8.3% (1-12) in the fourth.
• The Judges had the turnover advantage as well, forcing 23 while committing just 14, and turning that into a 20-9 scoring margin in points off miscues. They also outscored Emory, 38-22, in the paint.
• The Eagles' biggest advantage in the game came from beyond the 3-point arc, where they hit 8-of-20, including Olson's four, while Brandeis was just 1-of-8.
• The Judges' win over Emory snapped a 14-game losing streak to the Eagles, dating back to the 2016-17 season.
• It was the Judges' first win over a ranked opponent since Jan. 20, 2023, when they defeated a #7-ranked Rochester squad.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis will meet Rochester on Sunday afternoon at 12 p.m. in another UAA showdown.

POST-GAME INTERVIEW