Two tough University Athletic Association road rematches this week proved difficult for the Brandeis women's basketball team to overcome, resulting in another pair of losses for a team that could ill afford it.

Facing off against Case Western Reserve University and Carnegie Mellon University for the second consecutive weekend, the Judges could not continue the momentum they had from a Jan. 29 win against Carnegie Mellon. After the Dec. 31 win against Husson College, the Judges have never been the same, only winning one of eight conference matches so far this year.

With these losses, the Judges move their record to a disappointing 8-11 this season and 1-7 in the UAA.

The women's 65-56 loss against Carnegie Mellon proved frustrating, especially after a momentous win the previous weekend.

Although Brandeis committed fewer turnovers and had greater success from the free throw line, Carnegie Mellon dominated in field goal shooting percentage.

The Tartans made 47.1 percent of their shots, while the Judges only made 25.7 percent of the shots they attempted.

Trailing by seven at halftime, the Judges' momentum began to wane at the outset of the second half, falling behind by 10 points within the first three minutes.

Brandeis then went on a brief spurt, which after a three-pointer by guard Diana Cincotta '11 MA '12 with about eight minutes remaining in the second half, cut the deficit to one point.

However, they could not convert this small deficit into a lead. Brandeis failed to recover after Carnegie regained offensive control of the game, eventually losing the game to mark a winless weekend.

Forward and captain Shannon Hassan '12 acknowledged the Judges worked well against Carnegie Mellon's defense but ultimately could not get the job done.

"[Carnegie] was the first team to throw a zone on us this whole season for the majority of the game," she said.

"We took advantage of it by making different cuts and improvising our offense to attack more in the middle. We also played very aggressively. ... Our defense was fierce and intense, and we seemed to play with heart until the very end of the game."

Guard Morgan Kendrew '12 proved to be the core of the Brandeis offense, scoring a team-high 18 points on 5-19 shooting from the field. Kendrew also contributed with seven rebounds.

Guards Hannah Cain '15 and Kasey Dean '14 each managed eight points and combined for six rebounds. Forward Courtney Ness '13 totaled seven points on 3-of-4 shooting from the field with two rebounds off the bench.

Despite another outstanding 20-point performance from Kendrew and a double-double from Hassan, the Judges did not have enough offensive firepower to seal the victory against Case last Friday.

Hitting 9-18 from the field and 2-2 from the line, Kendrew was the only Brandeis player who recorded more than two field goals.

Hassan achieved her double-double with 10 points on 2- 6 shooting from the field and a career-high 10 rebounds, three of which were offensive boards.

While the first half remained close, the Judges again allowed Case to jump ahead on game-changing runs, including a 19-2 run in the first half.

When down by seven in the second half, the Judges scored 10 unanswered points and managed to regain a slight lead.

However, the Case defense quickly pulled it together, holding the Judges to only five points on 2-16 from the field and going on a 21-5 run.

This weekend, the Judges will prepare for another weekend on the road against University of Rochester at 6 p.m. on Friday. Brandeis will then travel to Atlanta to take on Emory University this upcoming Sunday afternoon.