WALTHAM, Mass. – Playing upstairs in Shapiro Gym for the first time since 1990 while the Gosman Center track undergoes renovations, the Brandeis women's basketball team defeated visiting Husson University, 63-46, in a non-conference matchup today. The Judges improve to 7-3 with their fourth-straight win, while the Eagles fall to 2-6 with their third consecutive loss.
This was Brandeis's first game in Shapiro Gym since a 77-39 win over Wellesley in the final home game of the 1989-90 season. The Judges played their games at Regis College in 1990-91 and the first semester of the 1991-92 season. The Brandeis men played in Shapiro as recently as the 2002-03 season when a bent rim during warm-ups in Red Auerbach Arena was unable to be repaired in time.
Brandeis used a dominant performance on the boards, especially the offensive glass, to earn the win. The Judges outrebounded Husson, 52-29, overall, while a 22-8 advantage on the offensive end led to a 25-8 edge in second-chance points and 30-10 edge in points in the paint.
Sophomore Samantha Anderson (Johnsonville, N.Y/Hoosic Valley), making her second collegiate start, led the way on the glass with a career-high 12 rebounds. Six of her 12 boards came on the offensive glass, matching her previous career-best for total rebounds in a game, set twice this season, including last time out against Eastern Nazarene College. Anderson also scored six points and set a career-high with three assists, tied for team best.
Rookie Janelle Rodriguez (Peabody, Mass./Peabody Veteran's Memorial) grabbed a career-high eight boards off the bench, while senior forward Amber Strodthoff (DePere, Wisc./DePere) had six. The each contributed three offensive boards to the effort.
Offensively, junior guard Morgan Kendrew (Cotuit, Mass./Barnstable) led all scorers with 17 points, the eighth time in 10 games she topped the Judges. Kendrew scored 10 of her 17 points in the second half. She connected on 6-of-14 from the floor, including 3-of-9 from downtown, and both of her free throws. Rodriguez added nine points, seven in the first half, when she and Kendrew combined to match the entire Eagle output with 14 points. Rodriguez fell two rebounds and one point of Brandeis's first double-double of the season.
Husson did get a double-double performance from junior forward Brianna Hanscom (Mattawamkeag, Maine/Mattanawcook Acad.), who had 10 points and 10 rebounds. Hanscom had six boards and four points in the first half. She shot 5-for-11 from the field for the game, but missed all four of her free throws. All of her rebounds came on the defensive glass. Eagle senior guard Noelle Lincoln (Dixmont, Maine/Nokomis) had nine points, all on second-half 3-pointers, while junior guard Amanda Gifford (Lee, Maine/Lee Acad.) had a game-high seven assists and tied for game-high honors with three steals. Husson outscored Brandeis, 19-15, in points off turnovers, including 16-4 in the second half when they twice cut a 19-point Brandeis lead to 12, but were never able to get any closer.
Brandeis closes out its non-conference schedule on Tues., Jan. 4, at 7 p.m., when they travel across Route 30 to Lasell College before opening University Athletic Association play at home on Saturday, Jan. 8 against rival NYU at 1 p.m. Husson takes on the University of Southern Maine for the second time this season on Weds., Jan. 5, at 5:30 p.m., in Gorham, Maine.