The women’s basketball team entered halftime of Saturday’s season-ending contest at 19th-ranked New York University tied with the hosts at 36 points apiece. 

This was after holding a 29-23 lead with less than five minutes remaining in the half. 

A late 10-2 run by the home team sealed a 71-62 victory for the Violets, leaving the Judges with a 13-12 record overall on the year and a 5-9 record in University Athletic Association competition.

Even with the loss, the Judges qualified for the postseason Monday evening for the second-straight year and ninth time under head coach Carol Simon.

Brandeis will enter this week's Eastern Conference Athletic College Tournament in the hopes of its third-ever title after winning back-to-back championships in the 2003 to 2004 and the 2004 to 2005 seasons.

The two teams exchanged three lead changes over the second half’s first five minutes, but the hosts turned the game into a blowout with just over 10 minutes remaining, embarking on a 10-2 run over five minutes that pushed their lead to 56-48. 

The Judges were unable to recover and could not pull within five points of the hosts over the game’s final six minutes.

Forward Heather Cain ’17 led the squad with 17 points off the bench, contributing five rebounds and three assists in 23 minutes. Brandeis put only one other player in double figures—guard Hannah Cain ’15, who netted 10 points and pulled down seven rebounds in just 20 minutes on the court. 

Heather Cain went 4-of-6 from beyond the arc and was a perfect 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. She finished the regular season second on the team shooting 34.2 percent on three-point attempts. 

Atop in that statistic is guard Noel Hodges ’18, who shot 44.1 percent this season. 

The Judges were hampered by 31.6 percent shooting from the field—their second-lowest of the season—a far cry from NYU’s 42.9 percent on 21-of-49 shooting. Though the visitors were able to convert 14 NYU turnovers into five points, the hosts won the battle down low, scoring 18 points in the paint to the Judges’ 16. 

Forward Maria Jackson ’17 contributed nine points, five rebounds, a pair of blocks, two steals and an assist in the losing effort, shooting 4-of-9 from the field. 

Guard Paris Hodges ’17 added six points and five boards in 25 minutes off the bench. 

Jackson noted that the team is almost always able to overcome its smaller stature in matchups. “[We overcome] the size that other teams do have but we make up for that with quickness and effort.” 

Though the Judges jumped out to a 40-37 lead with under three minutes into the second half, a seven-point outburst by the Violets put them ahead 44-41. 

Brandeis clawed back, using a Heather Cain three pointer to tie the game at 46 with 12:28 remaining in the contest.

NYU used the key 10-2 run at that point to spoil the possible upset, putting the game far out of the Judges’ reach. Brandeis did manage to end the contest on an 8-7 run over the final three minutes, though it was not nearly enough to erase a double-digit deficit. 

The squad struggled on the offensive glass, pulling down just seven offensive rebounds, one of only three times this season the team has been held to fewer than 10 offensive boards. 

In their first matchup against the Violets on Jan. 10, the Judges managed 14 offensive rebounds but fell 68-49. 

Jackson remarked that the team was able to play more efficiently against NYU after its previous experience with them. “Our second time playing NYU was much better than the first. Our game plan, however, was pretty simple ... We had to limit their second chance opportunities while getting some offensive boards ourselves.” 

She added that “the great thing about our team is how deep our bench goes. If one girl is having an off game, there is always someone who can step up and fill in the gap. When all of 12 of us are able to produce ... we are a very good team.”

Last night, the Judges earned the sixth seed in the eight-team ECAC Tournament after qualifying as the eighth seed last year. 

The squad went 8-3 in non-conference play after beginning the year by claiming victories in four of their first five games, including a victory over Endicott College—the ECAC's second seed this year.

During the early part of the season. the squad managed to record two huge blowouts, 85-36 against Mount Ida College and 77-39 over Salve Regina University.

 The team struggled after hitting UAA play, going just 5-9 over the season’s 14 UAA games and end the season in the middle of the pack in UAA conference standings, sitting in fifth place. 

With the sixth seed in ECAC Tournament, the Judges will go on the road against Roger Williams University on Wednesday at 6 p.m.

The Judges and the Hawks previously met this year in Rhode Island in the Judges' third game of the season on Nov. 19, during which the Judges pulled out a late 73-71 victory over the hosts.

In the victory over Roger Williams the Judges put four of their five starters in double figures, led by guard Nikki Laskaris’s ’16 15 points and pair of rebounds. Guard  Frankie Pinto ’17 added 13 points, three assists and two steals. Jackson and guard Sydney Sodine ’17 both contributed 10 points for the Judges. Guard Hannah Cain ’15 had eight points, three rebounds, four assists and five steals to round out the effort from the starters.

Forward Tori Dobson ’16 recorded 10 points off of the bench along with five rebounds.   

Roger Williams ended its regular season with a 19-7 record and boasts a 10-3 record at home, including the loss to Brandeis.

In the matchup against Roger Williams, the Judges will focus in on junior Hawks guard Angelica Ariola, who leads the team with 15.8 points a game. 

Jackson commented that she thinks the team needs to concentrate on playing to their athleticism during the tournament.

“[We need to] focus on playing our game,” she said. 

“We are quick and athletic, and we need to use that to our advantage ... If we stay calm, play big in the post, be a shooting and diving threat from the guards and limit turnovers, we will go far in the ECACs [this week].”