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The women's basketball team made amends for a tough 66-52 home loss against Emory University on Friday with a 62-49 victory against the University of Rochester at Red Auerbach Arena, snapping its seven-game losing streak. 
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After enduring a tough stretch in which the team failed to score more than thirty points on two consecutive occasions, the win was vital for the team's confidence.
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"We were more composed than during Friday's game," said coach Carol Simon of her team's performance during Sunday's game. "We were better on the offensive end, and defensively we stayed within our game plan and were able to execute what we needed to do."
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In Sunday's game, the Judges dominated early, opening the game with a 13-4 run which momentarily stunned the visitors. However, midway through the first half, the YellowJackets turned it on. 
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At this point, the Judges still led the game 17 to nine; yet multiple steals and offensive rebounds from the YellowJackets paved the way for an 11 to zero scoring run in the span of five minutes, which resulted in the hosts falling behind by three points in front of a boisterous home crowd. 
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The scoring then went back and forth between the two teams for the final five minutes, until the half ended with the teams at 25 points apiece. 
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Going into the second half, the two teams were locked in a tie, but it didn't take long before the Judges were able to break away. The YellowJackets scored first, giving themselves a two-point lead, but the Judges quickly responded with a six to zero run. 
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From there, the Judges did not let up, and they never trailed the rest of the game. 
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In the final few minutes, the YellowJackets committed a few fouls against the Judges in an attempt to regain possession and cut the lead; however, the Judges went seven-for-10 in those free throws, defending their lead to win the game. 
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Guard Janelle Rodriguez '14 had a team-high 13 points, which was one shy of her season best set during the Judges' first game against Emory on Jan. 25. Against Rochester, Rodriguez went six-for-eight from within the three-point line and hit an additional free throw. 
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"We were all a little upset after the loss [to Emory] and we came back with fire," she said, adding that "[Coach Simon] told us to stay disciplined and we listened and just did it." 
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Guard Kasey Dean '14 scored ten points and snagged a team-high five steals. Dean struggled a bit from the field, going three for 14, but was perfect from the free throw line, hitting all four of her free throws. 
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One of the toughest obstacles for the Judges to deal with was the play of Rochester junior foward Loren Wagner. Wagner went three-for-five from the field and went three-for-four in free throws. She also collected seven defensive rebounds, limiting Brandeis' second chance opportunities. 
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Leading Rochester in rebounds was senior forward Amy Woods, grabbing a massive total of nine offensive rebounds and two on the defensive end. Sophomore guard Breanna Madrazo led the YellowJackets in points, with 11, yet she had a difficult time shooting, hitting only three for 14 from the field.
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The Judges started off on the right foot against Emory, scoring the first basket; however, that would prove to be the Judges' only lead of the game. The Judges kept it close for the first seven minutes of the half, trailing by just one. 
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However, the Eagles dominated the Judges in all areas, going on an 18 to eight run to end the half with a 31-18 lead. 
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The beginning of the second half was not much better for the Judges, as they had a tough time containing Eagles' junior point guard Savannah Morgan, who went four-for-five from the field in the second half, making three of four three-pointers. The Eagles' largest lead came with 11 minutes left, when they went up by 25 points. With the game all but won by their opponents, it became a mission of keeping the score at a respectable difference for the Judges.
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With just under nine minutes to go, Simon called a timeout in an attempt to rally her team. 
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The Judges then played evenly with the Eagles for a few minutes, holding the deficit to around 23 points. 
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With a bit over four minutes to go, center Angela Miller '13 recorded a huge block, energizing her team. After the block from Miller, Brandeis went on a 10 to two run to end the game, cutting the deficit to 14 points. 
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However, even with the Judges' strong play towards the end of the game, the earlier lead built by the Eagles was too much for the Judges to overcome. It was a case of too little, too late for the Judges; they succumbed for their seventh game in a row. 
Despite the loss on Friday, Simon was energized by the team's performance during Sunday's victory over Rochester. 
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"I want us to continue to play this way and understand the type of team that we are and what we're successful at," she said. "I tell my players every day to put themselves in a position to be successful." 
"Today, that's what they did." 
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The women will look to build off their success in their next game when they travel to Carnegie Mellon University on Friday at 6 p.m. And with further important UAA contests against Case Western Reserve University, the University of Chicago, Washington University in St. Louis and New York University slated for the coming weeks, the timing of the success against the UAA's top team couldn't have been any better.