Big First Quarter Helps Brandeis Down Rivier, 64-39, to Improve to 5-0 for First Time Since 2009

Big First Quarter Helps Brandeis Down Rivier, 64-39, to Improve to 5-0 for First Time Since 2009

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Adam Levin '94

The Brandeis University women's basketball team outscored host Rivier College, 20-5, in the first period tonight and the Judges never looked back as they defeated the Raiders, 64-39, to improve to 5-0 for the first time since the 2009-10 season.

TEAM RECORDS
  • Brandeis, 5-0.
  • Rivier, 0-4.
HOW IT HAPPENED
  • The Judges never trailed as they dominated the first 10 minutes. They outscored the Raiders, 13-2, before the first media timeout and held the hosts to just 13% shooting for the stanza (2-13) while forcing six turnovers.
  • The Judges' leading scorer this season, senior Abby Kennedy (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) had 11 of the team's 20 points in the first, hitting 4-of-5 with a pair of 3-pointers and a foul shot.
  • Brandeis extended its lead as large as 24 points late in the second quarter before taking a 39-18 lead into the break.
  • Kennedy didn't score in the second, but nine of the 10 active Brandeis players had points by halftime.
  • A sluggish third quarter saw Rivier outscore Brandeis, 11-0, but the Judges had a 16-10 edge in the fourth to take the 25-point win, their second-largest of the season.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
  • Kennedy topped the Judges in scoring, reaching 20 points for the fourth time in five contests this season.  She hit 8-of-17 from the field, 3-of-6 from 3-point range and 1-of-3 from the line.
  • Senior Maya Williams (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union) notched a career-high 14 points, hitting 6-of-7 from the field with a pair of free throws. She also pulled down eight rebounds and had three blocked shots.
  • Senior Katherine Vaughan (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) grabbed a team-high 10 rebounds and dished four assists to lead the Judges.
  • Brandeis outrebounded Rivier, 54-38, including 26-12 on the offensive glass. That helped the Judges to a 19-9 advantage in second-chance points.
  • A 21-12 Brandeis turnover advantage led to a 20-6 margin in points off those miscues.
  • Rivier's Haley Phillips led the hosts with 10 points, while Sydney Perry had eight rebounds.
  • With their fifth-straight win to start the campaign, the Judges are off to their best start since the 2009-10 season.
  • The winning streak is their longest at any point in the season since a seven-game string in the 2019-20 campaign, when they got off to a 10-1 start.