Leopards Fall Short Against Nationally Ranked Foe

(Courtesy of Brandeis Sports Information)

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University and Bates College women's basketball teams will meet tomorrow at 2 p.m. for the 2009 Brandeis Basketball Classic championship after posting semifinal wins tonight. The host Judges, ranked No. 9 in the nation, defeated the Wentworth Institute of Technology Leopards, 56-49, in the opener, while the Bates College Bobcats rolled past the Mount Holyoke College Lyons, 74-51, in the second game. Wentworth and MHC will meet tomorrow at noon in the consolation game. 

In the opener, Brandeis (3-0) used a 9-0 run early in the first half to turn a 7-7 contest into a 16-7 advantage on a fast-break lay-up by sophomore Bridghid Courtney (Southampton, Mass./Northampton) with just over 10 minutes gone in the contest. Wentworth (2-1) was able to whittle the lead down to two at 21-19 with 2:24 left in the half on two Morgan Furman (Falmouth, Maine/Falmouth) free throws, but the teams traded 3-pointers late in the stanza with a Jessica Chapin (Mendon, N.Y./Honeoye Falls-Lima) trifecta with six seconds on the clock giving the hosts a 29-23 lead at the break. Brandeis pushed the lead to as many as 11 in the second half, and while the Judges weren't able to pull away, the Leopards never got any closer than a two-possession game. 

Chapin led the Judges with 14 points, seven coming in each half. Senior forward Kasey Gieschen (Boonton Township, N.J./Mountain Lakes) and junior guard Diana Cincotta (Plymouth, Mass./W. Boylston) both head eight points each, while sophomore guard Morgan Kendrew (Cotuit, Mass./Barnstable) had a team-high eight rebounds off the bench. Cincotta led all players with four assists. Overall, the Judges were able to overcome a 27 percent shooting night by outrebounding Wentworth, 42-35, including 18-11 on the offensive glass. The latter advantage turned into an 18-point margin in second-chance points (20-2). 

Wentworth (2-1) had game-high performances in scoring and rebounding. Senior Michelle Fauci (Boxford, Mass./Masconomet Regional) led all players with 19 points, connecting on six-of-11 from the field with a 3-pointer and all six of her free throws. She also had eight rebounds, a game-high four steals and team-best three assists. Furman added 15 points of her own. Junior forward Kirsten Vallone (Avon, N.Y./Avon Central) had a game-high 10 rebounds.