Women close out season with loss at #1 NYU

WALTHAM, Mass. – The Brandeis University women's basketball team closed out its regular season on Sunday afternoon, falling to unbeaten New York University, 80–58, in UAA action.

TEAM RECORDS

• Brandeis, 13-12, 3-11 UAA.

• NYU, 25-0, 14-0 UAA, ranked #1 in Division III by D3hoops.com and the WBCA.

HOW IT HAPPENED

• Brandeis University fell behind early against New York University, as the Violets opened the game on a 9-2 run.

• NYU continued to control the tempo, pushing its lead to 23-2. Brandeis found a late spark in the opening period behind graduate student

Elena Delicado (Madrid, Spain/IES Parque de Lisboa), but the Violets carried a 27-4 advantage into the second quarter.

• The Judges showed more offensive rhythm in the second. Junior

Sofia Berisha (Old Tappan, N.J./Winchendon School) and sophomore Saviah Shabazz (Plano, Texas/Plano West Senior) scored inside to stop an early run, and Shabazz converted two free throws at the line. Senior Abby Kennedy (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) knocked down a 3-pointer midway through the frame, and senior Katherine Vaughan (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) added two free throws and a layup.

• Still, NYU answered with timely baskets in the paint and many successful attempts from beyond the arc to take a 53-29 lead into halftime.

• NYU stretched the margin in the third quarter, opening with a 3-pointer and building its largest lead at 67-33. The Judges continued to battle, with a 3-pointer from Kennedy and interior baskets from senior

Brooke Reed (Chantilly, Va./Westfield) and senior Maya Williams (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union), but the Violets maintained a 71-42 cushion heading into the final period.

• Brandeis delivered its strongest stretch in the fourth. Kennedy hit a 3-pointer and added a layup, Reed and Berisha added multiple baskets, and the Judges forced multiple turnovers to trim the deficit to 76-55 midway through the quarter. The teams traded free throws down the stretch, but NYU's early advantage proved too much to overcome as the Violets closed out an 80-58 victory.

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Brandeis was led by Kennedy, who finished with 16 points, while adding four rebounds and a steal.

• She connected on three 3-pointers to extend her school single-season record to 54. Her 391 points this season are 10th all-time.

• Berisha provided a spark off the bench with 10 points and three steals, and Shabazz chipped in 9 points and four assists.

• Reed added 8 points, while Vaughan contributed 6 points, five rebounds, and two blocks.

• Vaughan wrapped up her season with another 40-block season, finishing with 42 and extending her school career record to 139.

• Williams pulled down a team-best six rebounds to help the Judges to a 34-25 advantage on the defensive glass.

• NYU was led by Brooke Batchelor's 18 points and six rebounds. Caroline Peper added 14 points and six assists, while Aila Kaibara scored 13. Yasmene Clark recorded a double-double with fourteen rebounds and 8 points to anchor a 50-34 overall rebounding edge for the Violets.

• As a team, Brandeis shot 40.7 percent from the field (22-54) and 37.5 percent from three-point range (3-8), scoring 36 points in the paint and 21 off the bench.

• NYU finished at 38.0 percent from the floor (30-79) and 24.3 percent from three (9-37), but converted 16 offensive rebounds into 16 second-chance points and forced 19 turnovers that led to 16 points. The Violets led from start to finish in the 80-58 decision.

• The Judges finish the regular season at 13-12 overall and 3-11 in conference play.