The Brandeis Women’s Basketball team has concluded their 2018-2019 season with a final record of 7–17 overall and a 3–11 record in the University Athletic Association. The Judges had an record of 4–9 at home in the Red Auerbach Arena and 3–8 away, according to the Brandeis Athletics website.

The season began on the right foot for the Judges as they defeated Rivier College on Nov. 16 at the Brandeis Invitational with a score of 81–66, with Sarah Jaromin ’19 as the star of the show. With 19 points scored, 11 rebounds and four assists, she led the team to their first victory of the season. The team led 25–14 after the first quarter, an advantage that helped give the Judges the momentum to win the game. However, the very next day in that invitational, the Judges fell to Western Connecticut State in the Championships with a score of 104–95. Shannon Smally ’22 was a force to be reckoned with for the Judges, scoring 21 of the team’s overall points and contributing 12 rebounds. This loss put the team even in their overall record.

Following their loss to Western Connecticut State, the team fell to Emmanuel College and Tufts University home and away, respectively, before pulling off another victory against Salem State University on Nov. 27. By a score of 74–61, the team ended a three game losing streak as Camila Casanueva ’21 scored a career-high of 30 points. Smally again led in rebounds with a total of nine. Kat Puda ’21 also led with five assists. Although the Vikings scored more points than the Judges in the third quarter, the Judges led at the end of every quarter overall. 

In December, the Judges won half of their games. First they conquered Johnson and Wales University by a score of 77–60, with Jaromin leading with a career-high 25 points and 12 assists. However, Amber Graves ’20 led the team with 13 assists. The Judges flew out of the gates in this game, leading after the first quarter 29–17. and maintained their lead at the conclusion of each quarter of the game. This victory was followed by two losses — Babson College with a score of 59–66 and Gordon College 48–57. However, the Judges fought back to overcome Roger Williams 61–41. Junior Hannah Nicholson led with 15 points and Kerry Tanke ’22 with seven rebounds. Graves led with a total of six assists. In a game that included one tie and four lead changes in the first quarter alone, the Judges persevered, eventually distancing their score from their opponent’s. 

The Judges first loss of the new year came on New Year’s Day as they were taken down by Regis College by a score of 57–62, followed by two wins during the team’s first two games against UAA rivals New York University and Carnegie Mellon University. The team struggled against the UAA and won only one matchup against the University of Rochester’s Yellowjackets. The UAA brought a challenge for the Judges after their NYU and Carnegie Mellon victories, when the team went on a four-game losing streak against Rochester and then finished out their season with a seven-game losing streak.

Playing against NYU on Jan. 5, Casanueva showed off an impressive 15 points, making her the team leader. She contributed to the team by leading much of the first half and then maintaining that lead in the second half, outscoring the Violets 16–14 in the third. Casanueva then used that lead to win the game after NYU outscored them in the fourth 22–20. The Judges played and fell to NYU on Feb. 23. A similar situation happened with Carnegie Mellon. After  the Judges won the first time facing their opponent, they lost the second time on Feb. 8. Once again this occurred with Rochester, defeating them on Jan. 27, then losing to them on Feb.3.

The Judges will enter the 2019-2020 season with some room for improvement. As their season comes to a close, it is time to train for next year to become a cohesive unit that can work together to take on more UAA rivals, as the team struggled this year to bring home many wins. However, the team was able to achieve seven impressive victories of the 24 games played, meaning the team has plenty of potential to succeed in the future.