Box Score Waltham, MA - The Husson University women's basketball team found themselves outmatched on the final day of 2011, falling to the Judges of Brandeis University 77-45 in Red Auerbach Arena. With the loss the Eagles fall to 3-5 on the early season while Brandeis improves to 7-4.
Senior forward Brianna Hanscom (Mattawamkeag, ME) led all players with 16 points and had a team-high nine rebounds, four offensive. Hanscom had 12 of her points in the first half, when she hit 5-of-7 from the field and 2-of-4 from the line, but the Judges limited her to just four second-half free throws and 0-for-4 from the floor.
Eagle sophomore guard Vanessa Sanderson (Houlton, ME) added eight points off the bench thanks to 3-for-4 shooting and a pair of 3-pointers, but no other Husson player had more than two field goals or five points. After shooting 48 percent (12-25) in the first half to keep the game close, the Eagles were just 4-of-26 in the second half (15.4 percent) in the second.
For Brandeis, rookie guard Hannah Cain (Gloucester, MA) narrowly missed a triple-double (11 p, 12 r, 7 a), helping the Judges to a more than two-to-one advantage on the boards (57-25).
Brandeis put three starters in double figures, but it was Cain's all-around excellence that stole the show. She scored 11 points and established game- and career-highs with 12 rebounds and seven assists, falling just three helpers short of a triple-double. The double-double performance was Brandeis's second of the season. Cain helped the Judges to a 39-28 lead in the first half with nine points, seven rebounds and five assists in 17 minutes.
The Judges' leading scorer on the day was senior guard Morgan Kendrew (Cotuit, MS), who finished with 13 points, a season-high, on 5-of-15 shooting. Backcourt mate and graduate student Diana Cincotta (Plymouth, MA) scored all 12 of her points on four first-half 3-pointers. She now has 84 career threes, tying her for eighth on the Judges' career list.
Brandeis got scoring contributions from 11 different players, while 12 Judges got in on the rebounding act. They were especially outstanding on their own end, grabbing 26 offensive rebounds to 25 total caroms for Husson (seven offensive, 18 defensive). In addition to Cain's big performance, junior center Samantha Anderson (Johnsonville, NY) had eight boards to go with eight points, while sophomore Kasey Dean (Southbury, CT) had six points and six rebounds off the bench. The Judges converted their 26-7 edge in offensive rebounds into a whopping 32-3 advantage in second-chance points.
The Eagles will return home to Newman Gymnasium on Tuesday, January 3rd at 6:00 pm when they play host to the University of Southern Maine. Brandeis returns to action when they open up conference play at rival NYU on January 7th at 2:00 pm.
