Box Score WALTHAM, Mass.—Brandeis University held UMass Boston women's basketball scoreless for the final 7:35 of regulation, to earn a 48-44 non-conference win at Red Auerbach Arena Tuesday evening.
THE BASICS
Brandeis 48, UMass Boston 44
(UMass Boston 7-5)
(Brandeis 7-4)
HOW IT HAPPENED
Brandeis used a long Beacons' scoring drought, to go on a 9-0 game-ending run over the final 7:35 of regulation. The win avenged a 69-65 loss last year at the Clark Athletic Center, in which the Beacons rallied from a 12-point second-half deficit.
Senior Olivia Murphy (Canton, Mass.) paced all players in the defensive struggle, as she finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. The senior forward pulled down four offensive rebounds and blocked two shots, in her 11th double-double in 11 games.
Sophomores Raven Kelsey (Boston, Mass.) and Katie Mathieu (Coventry, Conn.) were the only other Beacons in double-figures, as the two finished with 11 and 10 points respectively.
Brandeis was led by junior forward Maria Jackson, who recorded a double-double of her own, with 13 points and a game-high 15 rebounds. Niki Laskaris was the only other Judge to reach double-digits, as she posted 10 points in 23 minutes of action.
The two teams battled back-and-forth in the defensive struggle, as they combined for eight ties and 13 lead changes. UMass Boston and Brandeis were within three points of each other for nearly the entire game, as the Beacons were the only team to grab a two-possession lead in the first 39 minutes, with UMass Boston grabbing two leads of five points.
After being tied 37-37 early in the fourth quarter, UMass Boston used a 7-2 run to grab a five-point lead, at 44-39 with 7:35 left. Kelsey started the run with a three-pointer and Murphy hit a layup to push the lead back to three, after a Paris Hodges jumper for Brandeis. The Beacons then forced a Judges' turnover and Murphy made two free throws, to score the Beacons' final two points of the game.
Brandeis cut the deficit to one at 44-43 at 6:26, after Laskaris knocked down back-to-back shots.
Neither side would score for the next 4:20, as Heather Cain finally broke the scoreless drought with a layup off a pass from Hodges at 2:06.
After two more missed Beacons shots, Hodges added a layup in traffic with 26 seconds to go to make a it a 3-point game. UMass Boston tried to get a three-point shot out of the ensuing timeout, but Brandeis' defense forced them to shoot a two, and the Judges rebounded the miss.
BY THE NUMBERS
- UMass Boston's 44 points were their lowest of the season and their lowest since last year's 66-38 loss to Eastern Connecticut State on February 7, 2015.
- The Beacons shot 29.5 percent (18-of-61) from the field and 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from distance. Brandeis knocked down 33.9 percent (19-of-56) of their shots and 3-of-8 (37.5 percent) from distance.
- The two teams combined for just 18 free throw attempts.
- UMass Boston was outrebounded for just the second time this season, as Brandeis earned a 48-36 advantage.
- The Beacons turned the ball over a season-low 10 times, eight lower than their previous season-best.
WHO'S NEXT
UMass Boston will return to Little East Conference play on Saturday, as they travel to Rhode Island College for a 1 p.m. tip-off.
