The women's basketball team will enter the 2012-13 season with an entirely new outlook. Guards Morgan Kendrew '12 and Dianna Cincotta '11, MA '12, the offensive leaders for the Judges in 2012, have graduated, and the squad will look to wipe the slate clean after a disappointing 9-16 campaign last year.

The chief concern this year for the women's basketball team will be to excel during a transition season.

Coach Carol Simon, returning to the helm of the Judges for her 26th season, seeks to finish the rebuilding project for a squad, which, just four years ago, was ranked No. 11 in the USA Today Division III poll and made its run to the Elite Eight of the NCAA Tournament.

The Judges soared to a 7-4 start last season, and as winter recess and University Athletic Association competition approached, they looked to make a statement in conference play.
However, the Judges lost 12 of their last 14 game and appeared sluggish offensively and defensively. They conceded 63.7 points per game in that span, while shooting 24 percent from behind the three-point arc. The squad also only scored 52.8 points per game, a four-point decrease from the 2011-12 season.

Yet, Simon said that defense will be more central to the team's success than the offense for the Judges this season.

"We must focus on defense as one of our main priorities if we want to win this season," she noted.

Simon has used this formula for success in past years. In 2008-2009, when Simon and All-American Jessica Chapin '10 led Brandeis to the NCAA Division III Tournament, the team held opponents to 54.0 points per game in their wins.

Two years ago, Brandeis allowed just 56.2 points per game. Last season, that number swelled to 58.9 points per game. The ability to defend and limit offensive options for opposing teams will figure prominently into the Judges' success this season.
Simon noted that the team, especially with an infusion of first-years, need to emerge as a cohesive unit.

"We need to maintain a strong discipline," she said. "Our record is obviously something we are looking to improve on, but we should be more focused on being consistent and having a disciplined team."

However, in light of the returns of guard Hannah Cain '15 and forwards Samantha Anderson '13 and Erika Higginbottom '13, mentoring the new class will be crucial to the team's success. Cain, after earning 6.4 points per game in her first collegiate season, look to lead an offense that graduated Kendrew and Cincotta.

After recording 5.8 rebounds per game last season, Anderson will seek to dominate the boards for the Judges. Higginbottom, following a season in which she started 21 games and earned four rebounds per game, will look to assist Anderson in the paint this season.

The Judges will also face the imposing challenge of University Athletic Association opponents. The squad went 2-12 record in conference play last season, and in the past two seasons, won six out of 28 games.

The Judges open the 2012-13 campaign with a four-game homestand. The squad will look to capitalize in the Judges Classic this Saturday against Mitchell College followed by games against Babson College and Emmanuel College.

However, finishing the season on a high note will be just as important. The squad will face UAA opponents in its last 14 games.

Simon noted that to succeed this season, the team must practice hard and strive to improve in each game.

"Our goal is to get better every day," she said. "We are focused on the process and by doing this the outcomes should be positive."
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