Amanda DeMartino '06 led three Judges in double figures with 17 points and six assists as Brandeis used stifling defense to close out a successful road trip by defeating host Emory University 72-46 on Sunday. The win followed a close victory at Case Western Reserve on Friday and another win in Wellesley against Babson College on Tuesday. The Judges finished the week 14-3 overall, 5-2 in the UAA. Brandeis is having its best season since 1991-92, when the team won 21 games.
The Judges had one of their best defensive efforts of the season in Atlanta, holding Emory to 30 percent shooting for the game while forcing 22 turnovers. Brandeis showed superior ball movement, registering 22 assists on 29 field goals for the second time this season while committing a season low eight turnovers. Danielle Fitzpatrick '04 had 16 points and six rebounds, while Catherine Brady '05 chipped in with 11 points shooting three of six from three point range. The Judges as a team hit nine of 16 three pointers, good for 56 percent. Stephanie Seibert '04 had 15 points and 13 rebounds to lead Emory (6-10).
Brandeis led by as many as eight points in the first half, and held off a late rally in Cleveland to defeat Case Western Reserve 69-68 on Friday. The Judges surrendered the lead late in the game, but first year Caitlin Malcolm hit a three pointer with just over one minute remaining to put Brandeis up by four.
Case Western's Keesha Allen hit a three pointer to close the lead to one before Angie Zeuch missed a last second desperation three pointer to win the game on the final Spartan possession.
Fitzpatrick had 22 points and nine rebounds to pace Brandeis, while Malcolm and Brady had 17 and 13 points, respectively.
"That last shot was really scary," Fitzpatrick said. "We knew it was going to be a tough game and we knew it was going to be close. We stayed positive when they took the lead, and I think we all had the same feeling that we weren't going to lose this game. We kept our heads in it."
"[Case Western] is a very aggressive team defensively," coach Carol Simon said. "It takes a lot of composure to win a game like that, and that's the difference between this year's team and teams in the past. The girls don't get rattled."
"It was a great team win," Malcolm said. "Everyone came off the bench fired up."
The Judges scored the last 10 points of the game on Wednesday, cruising to 56-43 victory over host Babson College. Fitzpatrick led all scorers with 19 points and nine rebounds. Jayne Wise '04 had 14 points and DeMartino helped out with seven assists. The Judges were triumphant in a sloppy game that saw both teams shoot a combined 33 percent from the field and commit a total of 47 turnovers.
Fitzpatrick continues to consistently put up spectacular numbers in her senior season, and was once again named a UAA athlete of the week for the week of January 27 in which she averaged 23 points and seven rebounds.
"It's not surprising, that's just how [Fitzpatrick] works every day," Simon said. "If you see her work in practice, she never takes a day off."
"It's my last year here, so I can't let up now," Fitzpatrick said. "This is the last chance I'm going to have. But the whole team is so supportive, and I couldn't be where I am now without the contributions that they make.
The Judges are 5-2 in the UAA, stuck in a three-way tie for second place with Washington University and New York University. The University of Rochester leads the UAA with a 6-1 conference record.
The Judges continue conference play this week, hosting Emory on Friday at 6 pm. The Judges will be at home again against Case Western on Sunday at 12 pm.
"Every game is so important now," Simon said. "You can't take any game lightly, whether the team is in last place or first place.