Women's basketball forward Maria Jackson '17 almost looked like she could do it again.

Jackson led the Judges with a career-high 18 points in a 73-35 rout of the University of Massachusetts Boston on Jan. 6.
On Saturday, in her team's game against New York University, she guided the Judges to a 25-24 lead at halftime, contributing six points, three rebounds, two assists and two steals. She traded baskets in the first half with the Violets' star sophomore guard Riley Wurtz.

However, at the start of the second half, Jackson lost her touch and Wurtz continued to show the hot hand, leading NYU on a quick 10-0 run. Brandeis failed to truly recover, dropping their University Athletic Association opener by a tight 67-57 margin.


Brandeis stormed into Coles Sports Center with momentum on its side. In the first half, the Judges matched each run the 11-1 Violets had to offer. A 6-0 NYU lead soon turned into a 7-6 Judges advantage. The Violets surged ahead to a 22-15 lead, but again, Brandeis had an answer, countering with its own 10-0 run.

At halftime, the Judges were primed for a major upset, looking to deal the Violets just their second loss of the season. Brandeis' defense was firing on all cylinders, limiting the prolific NYU offense to just a 27.5 shooting percentage.

Jackson stated that the squad was in its most ideal situation here.

"As a team we decided to really work on playing as a cohesive unit and playing for each other. We want our game to be five people on the court being successful together," she said.

However, the game proved to be a tale of two halves. The Violets' sizable 48-35 rebounding advantage and the Judges' 15 turnovers ultimately determined the outcome of the game. NYU, using its 10-0 run to open the second half would not relinquish the lead. Yet, with four minutes, 32 seconds left, guard Janelle Rodriguez '14 nailed a jumper that brought the Judges within striking distance.

NYU had one last run in store, reeling off five uncontested points to secure the victory.

Rodriguez led the team with 13 points while Jackson once again reached double digits, recording 10 points and three steals. Center Angela Miller '14 led the Judges with eight rebounds in the loss.

The Judges fall to 6-6 after securing three wins in their past four games. Brandeis also fell to Trinity College on Jan. 4 in a 71-57 decision.

Meanwhile, against UMass Boston on Jan. 6, the outcome was all but certain from the first minute.

The Beacons looked lost on offense, missing their first 17 shots. Junior center Kristin Morrison secured the first basket with just 5:36 left in the first half, but by then Brandeis had run away with the game. The Judges were up 28-10, and by the second half, Brandeis had all of the momentum. After two quick UMass Boston baskets to trim the deficit to 28-18, the hosts raced out on a 10-0 scoring run. By the 7:43 mark, the lead was up to 31 points after a smooth break-away layup from rookie guard Paris Hodges '17.

From there, the Judges cruised to a 73-35 victory. Jackson led the offensive outburst, securing 18 points on seven-of-10 shooting. Forward Nicolina Vitale '14 also recorded double digits, scoring 13 points and, additionally, securing a team-high three steals. Hodges and Miller were effective on the boards, contributing seven rebounds apiece.

Just two days earlier against Trinity, though, it was a different story. In that game, Brandeis failed to gain control. The first half was a back-and-forth affair, featuring four ties and six lead changes, the last of which resulted in a 35-30 Trinity advantage.

After recording the first two scores of the second half, Trinity eyed a chance to put the game to bed. The Judges made sure that was not the case, answering with four forced turnovers and a 14-4 scoring run. Guard Kasey Dean '14 brought the Judges back into the game after a 12-2 Trinity run, converting a steal into a layup that cut the deficit to 55-48 with just under nine minutes remaining.

Trinity, though, made sure Brandeis wouldn't score again, securing a 71-57 win. Vitale led the team with 14 points and Dean proved to be a presence in the paint with six rebounds.

Brandeis looks to recover from its second-half collapse in New York with two critical UAA matchups.

Jackson, in looking ahead to future matchups, noted how important it will be to move past adversity.

"The conference schedule will definitely be tougher than what we've had so far so we just plan to focus and keep working in practice and get better every day. Our team is never one to give up. We always work hard and play until the end and we are going to need that for our next games," she said.

The Judges will travel to play the University of Washington in St. Louis on Friday, and then the University of Chicago on Sunday.