The Judges have dominated in the past week of play, conquering Case Western Reserve University and Carnegie Mellon University, both University Athletic Association competitors. The victories improved their record to 11-6 overall and 3-4 in the conference. The team looks ahead to their next game on the road against UAA competitor Carnegie Mellon on Friday.


Judges 55, Carnegie Mellon 52

An astonishing battle on Sunday left the Judges victorious against fellow UAA competitor, Carnegie Mellon University, improving the Judges to a 11-6 overall record and a 3-4 mark in UAA play. Forward Hannah Nicholson ’20 played an extraordinary role in this game, scoring a career high 23 points in the game and having 11 rebounds. 

At the half, the Judges were trailing the Tartans with a score of 29-25. After a seemingly downhill start to the second half with 8:57 to go in the third quarter, the Judges would score the next eight points in the game. Although CMU tried to push back, the Judges would outscore the Tartans 11-3 heading into the final quarter of play, with a lead of 44-42. During the period, Nicholson finished with eight points scored and Guard Katie Goncalo ‘20 scored six points. In fact, although both teams offensively declined in the final quarter, Brandeis held their guard as they never let CMU overtake them, demolishing the opposition with a 11-10 lead in the final quarter alone. This game was a nailbiter for Judges fans, but the persistence of this team allowed for the success of the women, an overall trend this weekend.


Judges 63, Case Western 42

On Friday evening, the Judges conquered UAA competitor Case Western Reserve University, improving their record to 10-6. Goncalo proved to be a force to be reckoned with, scoring a career high of 21 points in a game, 19 of which took place in the second half of play. At the half, the Judges and Spartans were tied at 28-28, but over the course of the second half, the Judges would go on to dominate the action and play. A true mark of the play was the incredible, yet sudden, improvement in Brandeis defense during the second half of the game. They were able to outscore the Spartans 17-8 in the third quarter alone, attributed to the team’s defense mechanisms. 

The fourth quarter proved to be even stronger than the third, with the judges outscoring the Spartans 18-6, missing only one shot. For the second quarter in a row, Goncalo alone was able to score an equal number of points to the entire visiting team’s roster, scoring six points by herself. Looking back on her overall performance for the game, Goncalo made seven out of 13 shots from the floor, two out of the six three-point shots and five out of five from the line. Additionally, other players helped to make this one a success for the Judges. Nicholson, also scored in the double digits at play with 10 points and a perfect shooting evening. Forward Joelle MarkAnthony ’19 led with eight rebounds at play. Guard Eva Hart ’ 18 scored nine points and had a career high of six assists during the game.

Overall, this game was an important confidence boost for the Judges, ending a three game losing streak. The wins continued on Sunday as the Judges went on to defeat Carnegie Mellon University.

Looking ahead, the Judges are entering the final month of regular season play, so each game is becoming increasingly consequential as the playoff picture is finalized. Despite the Judges 11-6 record overall, the team currently sits at 5th place in the UAA due to their 3-4 record within the conference. They will go on the road to face Case Western on Friday before playing Carnegie Mellon in a repeat of last weekend’s games. If recent success is any indication, this weekend should be another sweep.