Coming off a slide down the Division III national rankings, the women's basketball team attempted to stabilize itself in its first tour of the University Athletic Association. The two-game road trip yielded mixed results. After a nail-biting 92-85 overtime victory Friday at the University of Chicago, the Judges allowed 55 second-half points Sunday in a stunning loss to No. 2 Washington University in St. Louis. After their 10-0 start, the Judges have split their last four games, falling to fourth place in the cutthroat UAA with a 3-2 conference record and a 12-2 overall record.In the first half Sunday, the Judges kept the score close against the Bears, heading into the break down 28-23. Washington University took the lead for good with about nine minutes left in the half.

Allison Chase '07 led the Judges with 18 points while team captain Christine Clancy '06 added 17. Caitlin Malcolm '07 paced the team on the boards, grabbing seven rebounds with Clancy picking up four.

By the end of the game, it was clear the Judges were overmatched. In rebounds, turnovers and fast-break scoring, Washington University demonstrated how it snatched the No. 2 rank from Brandeis.

Brandeis players cited defensive woes as their downfall against Washington University.

"It was a pretty quiet trip home," Malcolm said. "Our defense wasn't great, we weren't hitting shots and it hurt us. They really earned their points, but we let them score 55 points in the second half, and that just can't happen."

"We gave up way too many points in the second half and you're not going to win games doing that," coach Carol Simon said.

Before taking on the Bears, the Judges pulled off a tight win at Chicago in their first overtime contest of the season.

The Judges came out firing and led by as many as 15 points in the first half after a three-point shot by Courtney Tremblay '08. Chicago tried to come back, but the Judges were able to stave off the Maroons and went into the locker room with a 10-point cushion.

But the Judges' lead was erased only five minutes into the second half as the Maroons went on a 17-3 run. The rest of the game was a shooting contest that saw 17 lead changes in the last 15 minutes before a three-pointer by Chase put Brandeis up by two with 1:46 remaining.

The Maroons, however, got a break after captain Amanda Demartino '06 and the Judges were slapped with a technical foul. Chicago junior guard Korry Schwanz sank both of her free throws and sent the game into overtime with the teams tied at 79. But the Judges reigned supreme in overtime as they took the lead and never looked back in the 92-85 win.

Five Brandeis players scored in double figures Friday as Malcolm led the team with 21 points. Tremblay, coming off the bench, was the second-highest scorer with 16 points.

"We knew we needed to win at Chicago," Capra said. "We grinded it out and had a good overtime win."

After two tough losses in the UAA, the Judges stressed that they need to step up their play in order to contend with their tough competition.

The team allowed Chicago to get back in the game on Friday and later gave up an uncharacteristic 55 points in the one half against Washington University.

"We need to keep our focus for 40 minutes and we're not doing that right now," Simon said. "A basketball game is all about ups and downs, peaks and valleys, and we can't have so many deep valleys."

The Judges look to improve their record when they host Case Western Reserve University and Emory University this weekend. Brandeis will take on Case Western on Friday evening at 6 p.m. and Emory on Sunday at 3 p.m.