WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team held visiting Wheaton (Mass.) College without a field goal for the entire third quarter tonight as the Judges overcame an early deficit to defeat the Lyons, 61-45, in the opening round of the Brandeis Invitational presented by the Park Lodge Hotel Group.
TEAM RECORDS
- Brandeis: 1-0.
- Wheaton (Mass.): 0-1.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- It was the visitors who had the hot hands at the start of the game, as Wheaton scored 20 of the game's first 22 points.
- The Lyons scored their first 18 points from 3-point range, hitting 6 of their first 8 attempts from deep.
- Brandeis crept back into the game in the late stages of the first quarter. In the second, they outscored Wheaton, 12-11, to go into halftime down 31-20.
- The Judges defense was amazing in the third period, when they outscored Wheaton, 26-1. Brandeis held the visitors to 0-for-11 from the field, 0-for-4 from beyond the arc, and the Lyons missed three of their four foul shots.
- Brandeis also outrebounded Wheaton, 15-7, and forced nine turnovers leading to 11 points in the third.
- First-year Charlotte McDonough (Gansevoort, N.Y. / South Glens Falls) scored eight points in the stanza, hitting 1-of-2 from the floor and 5-of-5 from the line.
- Carrying a 46-32 lead into the final 10 minutes, the Judges stretched their lead as large as 17 points before the 16-point final margin, 61-45.
INSIDE THE BOX SCORE
- Brandeis's balanced attack saw three players score in double figures. McDonough finished with a game-high 13 points in her collegiate debut. Senior Claire Candela (Maynard, Mass. / Milton Academy) added 12 points and classmate Sofia Berisha (Old Tappan, N.J. / Winchendon School) had 11.
- The Judges had a significant rebounding advantage, 47-35, including 17-9, on the offensive glass. Sophomore Annabelle Kenny (Westminster, Colo. / Holy Family) had a game-high 13 boards, while Berisha finished with a career-high 10 for her first collegiate double-double.
- Berisha also led all players with three assists and two steals.
- Wheaton's leading scorer was Emma Torrielo with 10, while Abi Weidmann had 12 rebounds in 26 minutes before fouling out.
UP NEXT
- The Judges will meet Husson University in the championship game tomorrow at 2 p.m., while Wheaton will meet Gallaudet at noon. The Eagles defeated the Bison, 92-54, in tonight's second game.
