News Release

WALTHAM, Mass. — Sophomore forward Jessica McEntee (Flushing, N.Y.) had 21 points and 15 rebounds today to lead the visiting New York University women's basketball team, ranked No. 21 in the nation, past 10th-ranked Brandeis, 59-53, in Red Auerbach Arena.

Brandeis (11-2, 1-2 UAA) jumped out to an early lead, taking an 18-7 lead on a 3-pointer by junior Courtney Tremblay (Peabody, Mass.) with 12:29 on the clock in the first half. NYU cut the lead to four at one point in the first half, but the Judges answered with a 9-2 run to get the margin to 32-21 with 2:10 before the break. A traditional three-point play by McEntee with seven seconds left in the first trimmed the halftime advantage to 34-26, Judges.

NYU (12-1, 2-1 UAA) clawed back to within five points, 44-39, with 9:38 remaining when they went on the game's decisive run. The Violets scored the next 14 unanswered points over the next four minutes as the Judges missed four shots and had four turnovers in that span. Senior Adrienne Rochetti (Vineland, N.J.) started the run with a coast-to-coast drive, but McEntee tallied the next six points, giving the visitors the lead for good on a lay-up with 7:41 left on the clock. A traditional three-point play by senior Stephanie Ryba (New Britain, Conn.) put the Violets ahead by a 53-44 margin with 5:42 on the clock.

At that point, junior Jaime Capra (Old Bridge, N.J.) tried to will the Judges back into the contest, hitting back-to-back 3-pointers from the elbow to get Brandeis within 53-50 with 4:25 remaining. Three possessions later, senior Caitlin Malcolm (Windsor Locks, Conn.) hit two free throws to cut the lead to 53-52, but NYU's Karen Bachman (Avon, Conn.) answered with a traditional 3-point play that put the game away.

Capra led Brandeis with 19 points, while sophomore Lauren Orlando (Peabody, Mass.) came off the bench to contribute nine. Malcolm led the team with six rebounds, while senior Alison Chase (Farmington, Conn.) had a career-high seven steals. The Judges shot a season-low 25 percent from the floor (13-52), including just 19 percent in the second half (4-21). They also tied their season low with just six assists.

NYU was paced by McEntee's career-high 21 points on seven-of-16 shooting with a trifecta and six-of-seven from the line. Her game-high 15 rebounds gave her her seventh double-double of the season. McEntee also tied for game-high honors with four assists. Rochetti finished with 12 points and four assists, while Bachman added seven points, eight boards, four assists and three steals. NYU won despite getting outrebounded, 39-37, and committing 22 turnovers, the same number as the Judges.