Women’s Hoops Falls to Host Judges in Brandeis Tip-Off Tournament Championship

WALTHAM, Mass.- The Eastern Nazarene College women's basketball team suffered a 70-54 setback to Brandeis in the championship contest of the Brandeis Tip-Off Tournament  Saturday afternoon at Auerbach Arena.

The Lions sink to 1-1 overall while the Judges improve to 2-0 on the year.

Jaysa Cooper (Frisco, Texas) paced the visitors with 12 points off the bench and five rebounds. BreAnna Fraser (Henderson, Nev.) scored eight points while Nicole Greer (Odenton, Md.) finished with seven points and five boards.

Elia Salazar (Los Angeles, Calif.) was selected to the All-Tournament Team and posted six points and four rebounds on the day.

The home side erupted for 25 points in the first quarter to claim a 25-8 lead after 10 minutes of action.

Eastern Nazarene was held to 27.3% shooting from the floor while Brandeis connected on 57.9% of its field-goal attempts.

The Judges edged the Lions 22-18 in second-period scoring to sport a 47-26 advantage at halftime.

Both squads struggled in the third frame as Brandeis owned a 59-37 lead heading into the fourth stanza. Eastern Nazarene drained five field goals on 14 attempts in the third while limiting Brandeis to 27.3% shooting.

The Lions strung together 10 straight points in the final 3:26 and outscored the Judges 17-11 in the fourth but Brandeis held on to capture the title.

Eastern Nazarene finished with a field-goal percentage of 38.3% including 35.3% from beyond the arc. Brandeis shot 39.5% from the floor in the game and sank three treys on 11 efforts.

Looking ahead, the Lions return to action with their third consecutive road game November 21 at Daniel Webster.