WALTHAM, Mass. – Brandeis University sophomore Katherine Vaughan (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) hit the game-winning lay-up with 8.4 seconds left in regulation as the Judges overcame an 18-point deficit to defeat the visiting Bridgewater State University Bears, 80-79, in a non-conference contest in Red Auerbach Arena.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis: 4-6.
• Bridgewater State: 3-5.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• BSU controlled play in the first half, outscoring Brandeis 24-12 in the first quarter.
• Three different Judges hit 3-pointers on their first three possessions of the second period to cut the Bear lead to 25-21 just 1:48 into the stanza.
• The Bears would push the lead back to 10 at 42-32 with 2:03 left before halftime, but Brandeis would get within seven at the break, 45-38.
• The visitors opened the third quarter on a 16-5 run, taking their largest lead of the game on an Arielle Cleveland free throw with 4:40 remaining to make it 59-41 and maintain that lead on a Kylie Grassi jumper that set the score at 61-43 with 4:13 to go in the third.
• Judge sophomore Abby Kennedy (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) connected on back-to-back trifectas to quickly bring the Judges within 12 less than a minute later. That sparked a 12-3 run to end the period that cut the deficit in half at 64-55 at the end of the third quarter.
• Brandeis kept BSU within close range in the final 10 minutes, but the Judges were still down nine, 75-66, on a Grassi bucket with 3:24 to go.
• Brandeis held the Bears to just two field goals the rest of the way, closing on a 14-4 run.
• A 3-pointer by senior Selenya Gonzalez (Springfield, Mass./Springfield Central) and a lay-up from sophomore Molly James (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) got Brandeis within 75-71 before BSU's Sophia Gaucher stopped the momentum briefly with a bucket in the paint.
• On the next Brandeis possession, junior Lulu Ohm (Waltham, Mass./Waltham) hit a trifecta following a Vaughan offensive rebound to cut the deficit in half. Ohm then found an open Gonzalez on a fast break to get Brandeis within one at 77-76 with 1:38 to go.
• Vaughan came up big on the defensive end with a blocked shot, leading to another fast-break opportunity, and Ohm hit the jumper to give Brandeis its first lead of the game, 78-77, with 1:04 remaining.
• Bridgewater State answered on a Sydney Bradbury bucket with 47 seconds to go to make it 79-78. The Bears kept Brandeis from scoring on their next possession, but the Brandeis defense forced them into an inbound situation on the sideline near the Bears' bench with 10 seconds to go. Gonzalez got a hand on the inbound pass and deflected it to Vaughan, who drove for what proved to be the winning bucket with 8.4 seconds remaining.
• BSU still had a chance to win it, but Ohm poked the ball away and stole it from Grassi on the last possession to secure the win.

INSIDE THE BOX SCORE

• The Judges saw three players score in double figures. Gonzalez led the team with 17 points, while Ohm had 15 and a team-high five assists.
• Vaughan tallied 14 and had a team-high eight rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. She also had three assists and two blocked shots.
• The trio of Gonzalez, Ohm and Vaughan accounted for 20 of the team's 25 points in the fourth quarter.
• First-year Claire Candela (Maynard, Mass./Milton Academy) provided a lift off the bench with career-highs of nine points, including a pair of 3-pointers, in 18 minutes, along with four rebounds, two assists and two steals. She outscored the BSU reserves by herself as Brandeis had a 23-8 advantage in scoring off the bench.
• BSU's Grassi led all players with 26 points and 10 rebounds, playing 39 minutes. She also tied for game-high honors with five assists and had three steals.
• Bradbury added 16 points, while Gaucher had 12.
• Four different BSU players had six rebounds as the Bears won the battle of the boards, 46-40.
• After Brandeis gave up 10 points off turnovers in the first quarter, then outscored BSU 10-7 the rest of the way.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE

• The last three meetings between Brandeis and Bridgewater State have all been decided by one point, with the Bears having won the previous two encounters.
• The Judges have won three of their last four this season after dropping five in a row.

UP NEXT

• Brandeis is done for the semester and will return to action on January 2, 2024, when they play host to Clark University at 5 p.m.