The women's basketball team kicked off its 2011-12 season with a roller coaster ride of a week. The squad opened its season with a 52-42 road win at Worcester Polytechnic Institute before suffering a 64-35 defeat at the hands of Babson College. The team then returned to Red Auerbach Arena for its first home action of the season with the Brandeis Judges Classic.

The Judges started the Classic on Saturday with a 68-47 victory over Endicott College, but fell to Colby College on Sunday 60-44. In the tournament, guard Dianna Cincotta '11 and Kelly Ethier '12 achieved All-Tournament honors. The Judges are now 2-2 on the season.

Brandeis' last match of the week was against Colby, which was initially a tight game. "When we came into the game, we knew that Colby was a ranked team," said forward Shannon Hassan '12. "And [we] took that as a challenge." Brandeis jumped out to a 5-2 lead after Cincotta sunk an open shot from beyond the arc.

"We talked about coming out hard and using our strengths, and I feel like we did a great job of that to start off the game," said Hassan.

Forward Erika Higginbottom '13 echoed Hassan's sentiments.

"Our opening tonight was definitely huge. It got our entire team fired up from the get-go, which always carries over into the rest of the game," she said.

The Judges were able to hold onto the lead until the Mules took a 9-7 lead on a three-pointer from senior guard Aarika Ritchie just under seven minutes into the game. Brandeis kept pace with Colby until the close of the first half. At that point, junior guard Diana Manduca stripped the ball from Hassan and found senior forward Jil Vaughan heading down court for the layup. On the next play, Cincotta committed a foul, which led to a pair of free throws for Colby. The Mules soon found themselves with their largest lead of the evening, 28-21.

"Colby was very big in their post. The challenge was put on the post … to play big [defense] and get a body," said Hassan.

Cincotta then scored seven of the Judges' next nine points. After four minutes of play, the Judges trailed by 33-30. With 13 minutes, 55 seconds left, Vaughan misfired on a mid-range jump shot. Higginbottom secured the rebound and passed the ball out to Ethier. Brandeis then nailed a three-pointer, pulling to within one. However, the Mules were hungry for a win in their season opener and steadily outpaced the Judges to extend their lead to nine points before coach Carol Simon called a timeout.

"Coach Simon just told us to keep working hard, not to give up [and] that the game wasn't over. We were still in it," said Hassan. "She gave us the plays to come out and run to get some fast points."

Brandeis was unable to regroup, however, and the game slipped away in favor of Simon's alma mater.

Despite the loss, Higginbottom recognized promise in the team's final game of the tournament.

"Even though we didn't win, we didn't give up. We'll have wins and losses, but it's important we always play with heart," she said.

On Saturday, the Judges played Endicott College in the tournament's opening game. Brandeis began the game with an 8-1 run, highlighted by scores from Hassan, Higginbottom and guard Hannah Cain '15. The Gulls had a difficult time competing with Brandeis on the boards, as Brandeis totaled 44 rebounds compared to 33 from Endicott. Samantha Anderson '13 made a statement in the paint, leading the Judges with 12 rebounds.

"Endicott was a more guard-based team [than Colby]," said Hassan.

At the end of the first half, the Judges led the Gulls 38-18. The point leaders for the Judges in the game were Ethier and Cain, who each accumulated 10 points for the Judges. The second half was much of the same story, as Brandeis preserved a double-digit lead en route to a 68-47 victory.

Before last weekend's tournament, the Judges squared off against Babson last Thursday. The Judges found themselves in the hole early, down 18-1 before piecing some plays together, most notably a jump shot from Higginbottom on an assist from Cain. Inspired by that clutch shot, the Judges then clawed back with a 16-8 run en route to a 26-17 deficit at the break. The Beavers exploded after the second half, launching a 19-4 assault against the Judges that put the game out of reach.

Last Tuesday, Brandeis was able to start its season on the right foot with a victory over Worcester Polytechnic Institute. Both squads started off slowly, with Brandeis making just one of its first 13 shots and WPI sinking only one of eight shots. By the end of the first half, though, the Judges were up 26-22. Brandeis came out stronger in the second half thanks to a three-pointer from Ethier and a layup by Cincotta. Brandeis led by five points and after that, never let the lead slip away.

The women's basketball team next takes on Wellesley College tonight at 7 p.m. and then hosts Tufts University this Sunday at 1 p.m.