#7 Brandeis 70, WPI 51 

Waltham, MA --- Junior guard Jaime Capra (Old Bridge, NJ) had 22 points and senior forward Caitlin Malcolm (Windsor Locks, CT) added 19 tonight as the Brandeis University women's basketball team defeated visiting WPI, 70-51, in Red Auerbach Arena.

Brandeis (7-0), ranked No. 7 in the nation by d3hoops.com and No. 8 by the WBCA, opened the game with a 16-4 run over the first 6:01 of action. Malcolm scored the game's first six points, with Capra notching seven of the Judges' next 10. WPI answered with eight straight points, cutting the lead to 16-12 on two 3-pointers and a lay-up. The Engineers went scoreless for the next five minutes and Brandeis scored 11 unanswered. WPI got within nine points on a couple of occasions late in the stanza, but Brandeis took a 37-25 lead into the break as Capra hit the fourth of her four first-half trifectas at the buzzer. An 11-4 Brandeis run to open the second half put the lead at 48-29, and the Judges never let the lead slip under 10 points again.

Brandeis was paced by Capra's season-high 22, which came on seven-of-14 shooting from the floor, including five-of-six from beyond the arc, and three-of-five from the line. Capra had 13 points in the first half to lead all scorers at the break. Malcolm's 19 points included a game-high 11 in the second half. She hit eight-of-12 from the floor and three-of-four free throws. Malcolm also stuffed the stat sheet with five rebounds (four offensive), a career-high five assists and four steals. Sophomore forward Cassidy Dadaos (Healdsburg, CA led all players with six rebounds, while junior guard Kiersten Holgash (Easton, PA) had a game-high with a career-best seven assists. The Judges shot 50 percent from the floor for the game (25-50) and outrebounded the Engineers by a 36-21 margin.

WPI (3-4) got within 11 points a couple of times late in the second half, but the Engineers could never get over the hump to get any closer. Sophomore center Michelle Perry (Pelham, NH) paced the visitors with 14 points on six-of-eight shooting in just 18 minutes of action. Senior forward Meghan Pajonas (Bristol, CT) had a fine all-around game with 12 points and team-highs with five rebounds and five assists. WPI forced 21 Brandeis turnovers while committing just 16, making the Engineers the first team to win the turnover battle with Brandeis this season.

Brandeis closes out the fall semester Saturday afternoon at 1 p.m. at Western New England College, while WPI hosts Emerson College the same day at 2 p.m.

Release Courtesy of Brandeis Sports Information