Kennedy (26p, 10r) leads Brandeis women past Bridgewater State, 61-46

The Brandeis University women's basketball senior Abby Kennedy (5'7''-G) (Half Moon Bay, Calif./Half Moon Bay) finished with 26 points and 10 rebounds, and the Judges played outstanding defense, holding visiting Bridgewater State to a season-low in scoring, defeating the Bears 61-46 in Red Auerbach Arena tonight. The first half saw the lead change hands seven times with three ties. The Judges looked to open up a lead in the first when Kennedy scored seven unanswered points midway through the stanza to give Brandeis a 17-10. BSU's Savannah Azoff hit a 3-pointer just before the buzzer to cut the deficit to four, 17-13, after one. Defenses ruled in the second quarter, as the teams combined to hit just 23% from the field. Bridgewater State outscored the Judges, 10-7, in the period. The lead changed hands four times in the period, with sophomore Jazzy Perez (Johns Creek, Ga./Centennial) hitting a jumper in the lane on the Judges' final possession to give them a 24-23 lead at the break. Kennedy and senior Katherine Vaughan (6'0''-F) (Bedford, Mass./Bedford) led the Judges with eight points in the first half, while BSU's Sophie Bradbury (5'8''-G) led all players with nine points, scoring six her team's 10 points in the second quarter. Brandeis began to pull away in the third quarter, outscoring the Bears, 23-7. The Judges held BSU to 18.8% from field (3-16) in the stanza. Though the Judges shot just 29.4% (5-17) themselves, they were able to get to the line for 12 free throws, converting 11 (91.7%).Kennedy was dominant in the quarter, outscoring BSU on her own with 12 points to enter the fourth with 20 as Brandeis took a 47-30 lead. The Judges scored the first eight points of the fourth, establishing a 24-point lead with 2:26 elapsed on a bucket by graduate student Elena Delicado (6'1''-F) (Madrid, Spain/IES Parque de Lisboa), and Brandeis never looked back. Kennedy finished with her first collegiate double-double with 26 points – two shy of a career-best – and a career-high 10 rebounds. She hit 7-of-16 from the floor, a career-best six 3-pointers on nine attempts, and 6-of-6 from the line. Vaughan finished with eight points, while Perez and senior Molly James (5'11''-F-2002, college: Lenoir-Rhyne) (Pittsburgh, Pa./Upper St. Clair) each had six. Senior Maya Williams (6'0''-F) (Redondo Beach, Calif./Redondo Union) grabbed seven rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. She and Kennedy helped the Judges outrebound BSU, 47-36.The Judges also used a 14-4 advantage from the free-throw line and 20-13 margin in points off turnovers. Bridgewater State was paced by 14 points from Sophie Bradbury and 11 points, seven rebounds and four blocked shots by Emilie von der Linden. This was the largest margin of victory in the five-game series between Brandeis and Bridgewater State, as the first three meetings were decided by one point and last year's meeting was a six-point Brandeis win.

Courtesy of: d3hoops.com