It was only fitting that guard Jessica Chapin '10 found herself controlling the ball as the final seconds ticked away in the women's basketball team's 57-45 win over Babson College last Saturday. Led by Chapin's career-high 23 points and six steals, the Judges defeated Babson College 57-45, moving their record to 4-2 after last Tuesday's 86-62 revenge victory over Emmanuel College, the school that eliminated the Judges in the second round of the NCAA Tournament last season.

"[Chapin's] a hard-nosed, gritty kid," coach Carol Simon said. "She's a kid who hates to lose. I mean, you can play her in chess, and she hates to lose. It doesn't matter what you're playing her in."

The Judges had entered the week on a down note after dropping their second nonconference game of the season in a 57-43 loss to Tufts University Nov. 25, but Chapin's contributions helped them rebound.

"I just stepped up," Chapin said. "Somebody had to. We were struggling."

After back-to-back layups by forward Cassidy Dadaos '09 gave Brandeis an early 4-0 lead last Saturday, the Beavers took the lead and held it for much of the first half.

"We struggled in the first half with [Babson's] different style, [but] we made an adjustment, and that was what was important," Chapin said.

Over the next seven minutes, the Beavers led by as many as four points and were helped by poor shooting from the Judges. Brandeis missed three straight free-throw shots and four straight field goal attempts, including three by captain and guard Jamie Capra '08. The first-team all-University Athletic Association selection from last season collected just one point in the contest after missing most of the team's warm-ups because she was taking the LSAT that morning.

"I came right from the test, and I didn't get on the bus with the girls, so it was a long day for me," Capra said. "I've been in a shooting slump, [so it's] nothing new, but [Saturday] was just an all-around rough day."

But two missed free throw attempts by senior forward Linsey Poulson allowed the Judges to shift the momentum, and they took control with a 12-1 run over the next minute and 46 seconds. Chapin collected 10 points and four steals during the run, and reserve forward Kasey Gieschen '10 added two field goals to put Brandeis ahead 29-24 going into the second half.

"[Chapin's] the one when things are getting tough, we really want the ball in her hands," Simon said.

The Judges then built an 11-point lead 3 1/2 minutes into the second half thanks to three straight field goals by center Lauren Orlando '09, who finished with 15 points, all of which came after the break.

"The first half, I got into foul trouble early," Orlando said. "I said to myself, I had to come back and do something in the second half, so I just came and attacked them on offense."

The Beavers cut the lead to five points with 18:31 remaining in the second half, but it was as close as they would get. A 12-0 Brandeis run gave the Judges a 49-32 lead with 9:55 left in the game. Orlando and Chapin combined for all 12 points during the stretch, including seven points from Orlando.

From there, Babson attempted to chip away at the lead, but was only able to cut the deficit to eight points with 2:59 remaining.

Last Saturday's victory also capped the first winning streak for the Judges this season after last Tuesday's revenge win at Emmanuel. Playing on the very court on which they fell 71-66 in the second round of last year's NCAA tournament, the Judges blitzed Emmanuel with a 25-11 run over the last 8:42 of the first half and never looked back, winning the game easily 86-62.

Orlando led the squad with a game-high 27 points and nine rebounds in just 23 minutes, dominating the smaller Emmanuel inside players.

"[Orlando's] a big, solid post [player]; she's finishing well and just doing a lot of good things for us right now," Simon said.

Capra finished with 15 points and 14 rebounds, and Chapin added 10 points and seven rebounds of her own in the winning effort. Though the Judges did turn the ball over 21 times in last Tuesday's win, it was a far cry from last season's tournament loss, when they committed an astounding 35 turnovers.

The Judges head to Worcester Polytechnic Institute Tuesday at 7 p.m. before hosting Wheaton College Friday at 7 p.m. and Williams College Sunday at 2 p.m.