All the fans in the bleachers were on their feet. Cheers and shouts were louder than have ever been heard at a Brandeis basketball game. The frenzied noise was interrupted only by clear, crisp chants of "MVP! MVP!" It was total euphoria for forty minutes in Auerbach Arena on Sunday and the suspense ended with an ecstatic celebration as students stormed the court following the Judges' 62-51 win over Eastern Connecticut State University in the Eastern College Athletic Conference championship game.
The best season in Brandeis women's basketball history ended in grand fashion on Sunday with a win that marked the program's first ECAC tournament championship and the team's 22 wins is a program record for wins in a season. Danielle Fitzpatrick '04 had a team high 14 points and Jayne Wise '04 had a game high six assists to lead the Judges. Christine Clancy '06 chipped in with 12 points and a game high 12 rebounds in a physical defensive game that saw neither team shoot well from the field. Caitlin Malcolm '07 scored 11 points to go along with nine rebounds
"It's amazing," Fitzpatrick said. "My freshman year we won six games, and it's just a testament to how hard everyone has worked and how bad we wanted this."
The top seeded Judges won the ECAC New England tournament after beating eighth seeded Albertus Magnus 72-52 on Wednesday and fifth seeded Colby Sawyer 60-42 on Saturday before advancing to the finals against Eastern Connecticut. Fitzpatrick was named Most Valuable Player of the tournament, validating the "MVP" chants she had been hearing for weeks.
"For all [the seniors] I'm just so happy for them," coach Carol Simon said. "From day one when they got here, they've matured so much as people and as players. To get to this point proves all the work that they've done, and they deserve it."
"It couldn't have ended better," Wise said. "Being a senior, playing at home, having all the fans here. It's better than I could have thought."
The Judges played with the same game plan that had made them so successful all season: rebounding, ball movement, stifling defense and not worrying about shooting percentages. Brandeis out-rebounded the Warriors 52-45. The Judges continued their stellar ball movement, recording 15 assists on 22 field goals. The Warriors could not find an easy shot while being harassed into 25.8 percent shooting. Warrior senior point guard Allison Coleman, a three time all-American, was held to 17 points on 5-23 shooting. Coleman faced double teams the whole day and often only received the ball 30 feet from the basket with the shot clock running down. The Judges shot only 32.8 percent for the game, but it proved to be a moot point.
"[Coleman] is a great player and no one player can stop her," Simon said. "We just played really good team defense, and that's been our thing all year."
Coleman's frustration with the Brandeis defense was on display early in the second half when she got tied up with Catherine Brady '05 while driving into traffic. When a jump ball was whistled, Coleman slammed her hands against the floor in aggravation.
"We knew that [Coleman] was their go to player," Wise said. "The idea was to limit her touches."
The Judges led by as many as 11 in the first half, before a late Warrior flurry cut the lead to six at halftime. But a Brady 3-pointer to open the second half sparked a 9-4 run, pushing the lead back to 11. Coleman continued to push the tempo, never shy to pull the trigger on a jumper. A Coleman free throw cut the lead to five with less than seven minutes remaining, but the Warriors could get no closer.
With time winding down, the crowd became more and more raucous. A rare miss by Fitzpatrick on a fast break layup was immediately cleaned up by Wise. The next play down the floor Coleman was rejected by Basia Gryzb '07, igniting the crowd again. With the 33 seconds left and the Judges leading by nine, the celebration had begun. Wise and Fitzpatrick were taken out of the game to standing ovations and both mobbed Simon in embrace on the sideline. The Ultimate Frisbee team stood shirtless on the sidelines during timeouts with "GO JUDGES" painted on their chests, rousing the crowd into cheers.
Even after time had expired and the MVP plaque was presented to Fitzpatrick, many still stayed to see the Judges cut down the net. Every player and coach on the team took a turn cutting down a piece of it, keeping the twine as a souvenir. Simon went last and cut down the rest of the net as the crowd applauded with jubilation. It was school spirit at its best. As a gesture of appreciation, the team even had Judges fanatic and number one fan Allen Karon '91 cut down a piece of the net.
Coach Simon was teary eyed with joy and exhaustion, but was still able to think about next year. Although losing seniors Wise, Fitzpatrick and Rachel Kostegan, the team has a very solid young core. Clancy will be expected to step up and fill the large void left by Fitzpatrick. Amanda DeMartino '06 has been a stabilizing force all year and must continue to play with the same calm. Malcolm has been playing solidly all year and will need to continue her improvement. Gryzb has provided a spark off the bench all year. Nicole Awwad '07 played sparingly earlier in the season, but showed great defensive intensity and passing ability in extended playing time towards the end of the season.
"[Simon] expects a lot out of us," Fitzpatrick said. "She's a very intense coach. "This team is still building. Our freshman played so good this year, everyone will just have to move up."
"We can't live on our laurels of this year," Simon said. "People know about us now, we're not a surprise. Everyone has to get better over the summer.