Judges Improve to 6-0 With 64-52 Win at Babson

Judges Improve to 6-0 With 64-52 Win at Babson

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Mirit Wenderfer '29

The Brandeis University women's basketball team outscored host Babson 18-5 in the second period and used another dominant defensive effort to stay unbeaten, knocking off Babson, 64–52, to improve to 6–0 for the first time since 2008-09.

TEAM RECORDS
  • Brandeis, 6–0.
  • Babson, 3–3.

HOW IT HAPPENED
  • Brandeis controlled the opening quarter for the second straight game, scoring the first six points and racing out to a 14–5 lead before the midway mark, including a pair of 3-pointers from senior Abby Kennedy (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay).
  • Babson briefly went up 15–14 on a free throw with 1:16 remaining in the first, but senior Maya Williams (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union) answered with a foul shot of her own to tie it at 15–15 heading into the quarter break, and the Judges would not trail again for the rest of the game.
  • Five different players scored during the second quarter as the Judges used an 18–5 surge to build a 33–20 halftime advantage. Senior Katherine Vaughan (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) and junior Claire Candela (Maynard, Mass./Milton Academy) led the stretch each with five points in the period, while sophomore Saviah Shabazz (Plano, Tex./Plano West Senior) and junior Sofia Berisha (Old Tappan, N.J./Winchendon School) added key baskets as well.
  • The Judges pushed their lead to 18 points, their biggest of the game, in the third quarter, the first coming on a lay-up by Vaughan with 8:26 left that made it 38–20.
  • Babson hit four threes in the period to hang around, but Brandeis still carried a 46–39 lead into the fourth.
  • Babson closed within five early in the final quarter, after a 3-pointer by Chloe Perreault with 7:01on the clock, but the Judges answered with a strong finish.
  • The Judges hit 14 free throws in the last quarter, with six by Berisha and five by Shabazz to shut the door and secure the double-digit road win.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
  • Berisha led the Judges with 17 points, her most efficient all-around outing of the season. She added career-highs with five assists and five steals, while hitting a team-high seven free throws down the stretch.
  • Shabazz finished with 13 points while also contributing four rebounds and four assists. Vaughan matched her with 13 points of her own.
  • Williams anchored the Judges on the glass, pulling down a team-high eight rebounds, while Berisha added seven boards to round out her strong performance.
  • The Judges earned the win despite getting only eight minutes of action from leading scorer Kennedy, who suffered an injury early in the second period. 
  • Brandeis forced 22 Babson turnovers, converting them into 20 points, compared to just seven points off turnovers for the Beavers. The Judges also notched 13 steals, led by Berisha's five.
  • The Judges also outscored Babson, 18-7, from the line for the game. The Judges had a 15-0 foul advantage in the fourth period, helping them keep the Beavers at a distance. The hosts were within two possessions on three different occasions only to get whistled for an offensive foul. 
  • With the win, Brandeis moves to 6–0 for the first time since 2008, when they went 10-0 and finished 20-8, as they continue their strongest season start in 15 years.