ST. LOUIS, Mo. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team overcame a four-point deficit entering the fourth quarter, outscoring host Washington University, 27-18, in the final 10 minutes to escape St. Louis with an 86-81 University Athletic Association (UAA) victory tonight. With the win, the Judges improve to 12-3 overall and 2-2 in the UAA. This was just the team's third win over Washington on the road, but their second in three years. WashU falls to 8-7, 1-3 UAA.
The game was nip-and-tuck the whole way, featuring 10 ties and 12 lead changes. After the hosts took a 22-20 lead after one quarter, Brandeis scored the first five points of the second to reclaim the lead on a 3-pointer by junior Camila Casanueva (Santa Barbara, Calif./Dos Pueblos). The Bears were still within a bucket on a Sammi Matoush lay-up with 7:15 to go before the break when Brandeis embarked on a 14-5 run over the next three-plus minutes. The Judges took their largest lead of the game when Casnaueva hit one-of-two from the line at the 4:07 mark to make it 44-33. WashU scored the final eight points of the stanza, however, with Molly Gannon's trifecta with just over a minute to go making it a 44-41 Brandeis lead at the break.
The Bears continued their streak out of the locker room, scoring the first four points to reclaim the lead. Neither team was able to establish a foothold in the third quarter, with a Naomi Jackson 3-pointer with 35 seconds left giving WashU a two-possession lead at 63-58 before a late free throw for the Judges got them within four.
Brandeis opened the final period with a pair of 3-pointers from junior Jillian Petrie (Marlborough, Mass./Marlborough) and Casanueva, tying the game at 65-all. After WashU's Maya Arnott hit a bucket on the next possession, the Judges responded with six in a row, going up by four on a Petrie bucket with 5:45 remaining that made it 71-67. The Bears' Matoush answered with a trifecta, kicking off a 6-1 run that put them ahead, 73-72, with just under three minutes remaining. At that point the Judges scored the next seven points, taking the lead for good on a jumper by rookie Emma Reavis (Miami, Okla./Deerfield Academy). In addition to a bucket by senior Hannah Nicholson (Sunderland, Vt./Burr and Burton Academy), the Judges hit 10-of-12 from the line to ice the victory.
For the game, the Judges put four starters in double figures in scoring. Casanueva led the team with 20 points, her third 20-point performance of the season. She hit 4-of-12 from the floor, 3-of-7 from beyond the arc and 9-of-12 from the line. Casanueva had seven points in the second quarter and eight the fourth. She also had nine rebounds, four assists, and three blocked shots. Petrie finished with 18 points, a career-high, including nine in the fourth quarter. Reavis added 12 points, one shy of her career-best, and matched Casanueva for a team-high with four assists. Nicholson added 10 points and a team-high 12 rebounds for her UAA-leading seventh double-double of the season. Junior transfer Courtney Thrun (Regina, Sask./Wilbraham and Monson Acad.) finished with eight points and nine board off the bench. Brandeis owned a 47-41 advantage on the glass and outscored WashU, 23-12, from the free-throw line.
WashU's Mattoush led all players with 22 points, while Samantha Weaver had 16 points. Kristina Schmelter matched Nicholson with a double-double performance with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds. Molly Gannon had a game-high five assists.
Brandeis will travel to Chicago for a Sunday match-up with the 16th-ranked Maroons, who defeated NYU, 82-71, tonight.