After 18 consecutive victories dating back to last season, the women's basketball team lost 61-59 to UAA foe Emory University in Atlanta on Sunday. It was setback, though not a disastrous one. The Judges, who had been climbing the rankings all season, but fell to from No. 3 to No. 7 in the Division III rankings."Honestly, Emory just outplayed us; they beat us fair and square," Coach Carol Simon said.

Caitlin Malcolm '07 led both teams with a stellar 24-point performance, while Christine Clancy '06 scored 13. But no other players scored more than eight points, a disappointment for a team with four players with double-digit scoring averages. The Judges recorded a season-low 28.3 percent shooting percentage as well as a disappointing 13 turnovers to go along with only 11 assists. The Judges also had five fewer rebounds than their southern nemesis, losing the battle of the boards for just the second time all season.

The Eagles jumped out to a 25-16 lead with just over seven minutes to play in the first half, but the Judges were able to close the gap heading into halftime with a close 32-29 advantage over Emory.

The second half started strong as both teams battled for the lead until the Eagles took a 56-54 lead with just over three minutes to play.

"I think it's going to make us more humble and appreciate what we have and make us work harder in practice," Malcolm said. "The past two games we haven't been playing our best."

Before the loss in Atlanta, the Judges traveled to Cleveland to take on another UAA rival in Case Western Reserve University. Malcolm shined against the Spartans, sinking 19 of 22 free-throw shots and finishing with a career-high 29 points as the Judges beat the Spartans 71-56. Clancy chipped in with 14 points and Basia Gryzb '07 had 11. Malcolm also led the team in rebounds, grabbing a season-high 13, while Clancy followed with seven.

The Judges led by as many as 23 points in the second half with under 10 minutes in the game. The Spartans got within 10 points with four and a half minutes left to play, but it was not enough as Malcolm hit seven of her next eight shots to lead the Judges to a 71-56 victory.

"It was a very physical game at the end; they're a very athletic team," Simon said.

Though the Judges have only one loss, it seems that their shooting has dwindled in the last four games. The team has not shot over 50 percent from the field since its victory over the Massachusetts Institute of Technology Engineers on Jan. 12. Since then the team has made only a dismal 38.4 percent of its shots from the field.

"With shooting, it's always uncertain," Gryzb said. "I think our shooting percentage has been low lately because we've been getting defended [well]."

Despite their first loss, the Judges are still 14-1 overall and 4-1 in the UAA. After dropping four spots in the national rankings to No. 7 the team knows that it is not perfect.

"We just need to get better," Simon said. "We need to come with an attitude that we're going to push each other every practice. But, as I told the team, it's not the end of the world. It's one loss, it's going to happen at some point and we just need to learn from it."

The Judges are entering a dangerous stretch, eerily familiar to the one that derailed them from their path to the NCAA tournament last season. The team hosts Washington University of St. Louis on Friday at 6 p.m. and the University of Chicago on Sunday at 3 p.m. before going on the road to play the same teams next week.

The Judges were on the fast track toward an NCAA tournament berth last season when late season losses to Chicago and Wash. U. dropped the team out of the rankings. This stretch will be crucial for the team to maintain a playoff position.