WALTHAM, MA – Unable to find its range all evening, the University of Rochester women's basketball fell to the Brandeis University Judges, 58-41 on Friday evening inside Red Auerbach Arena, dropping their first conference game of the year.
 
With the loss, both UR and Brandeis now sit at 8-5 (1-1 UAA) on the season, as the 'Jackets fall for the first time in University Athletic Association (UAA) play, while Brandeis picks up its first conference win of the 2024-25 campaign.
 
Rochester shot just 22.4 percent (15-for-67) from the field and 5-for-28 from three against the Judges, struggling to find the bottom of the net. The Judges would score the first nine points of the contest before Abby Gress got UR on the scoreboard with a triple at the 6:58 mark of the first, but that Gress triple, along with another jumper a little less than two minutes later, would prove to be the 'Jackets only two buckets of the opening period.
 
The Yellowjacket made just two field goals in the first quarter, shooting 2-for-20 from the field, as Brandeis opened an early 18-5 advantage after one. However, Rochester began to find their touch in the second, as Gress and Rylee Drahos combined for 10 of the first 14 points of the quarter to pull UR within eight.
 
Trailing 22-15 after Gress' layup with 7:27 left in the second, Lulu Ohm cashed her second triple of the night to bring Brandeis' lead back out to double digits, but the 'Jackets would make another run, this time pulling within four after Tia Poulakidas went 1-for-2 at the free-throw line with 4:56 to play in the second period.
 
Gress again got UR going with another three, one of three on the night for the graduate student, while Erin Lillis got on the scoreboard with a layup just shy of the six-and-a-half-minute mark of the second.
 
Another scoreless stretch though, allowed the Judges to build their lead back up to seven before two free throws from Claire Groenewoud sent Rochester into the locker room trailing by just five, 28-23.
 
In total, UR outscored the Judges, 18-10, in the second to pull within five. And after shooting 33.3 percent from the field in the second, the Yellowjackets finally found their touch in the third.
 
Two quick buckets from Bridget Miller to start the quarter made it a one-point game, and while the Judges brought their lead back out to six, 33-27, over the next five minutes, Poulakidas got going on the offensive end down the stretch of the third, helping UR take its first lead of the night.
 
Back-to-back buckets from the UR sophomore once again made it a one-possession game, before a corner three from the Naperville, NL native matched Ohn's jumper and pulled the 'Jackets within one.
 
UR then forced a turnover and took its first lead of the night on another Poulakidas jumper, as the sophomore scored eight-straight points over a three-minute stretch to give Rochester a 36-35 lead with 44 seconds left in the third.
 
On Brandeis' ensuing possession, Ohm sank her third triple of the night to retake the lead, but Grace Corelli beat the buzzer with a driving layup to send the 'Jackets and Judges into the final frame, all tied up at 38.
 
Rochester then retook the lead to start the fourth, as Miller went 1-for-2 at the line to put UR up by a point, but after the 'Jackets missed two chances to extend their lead, Ohm scored again to put Brandeis back in front, while Abby Kennedy sank a huge three to make it a four-point Judges' advantage.
 
Trailing 43-39 with 7:07 to play, UR got a much-needed stop after a turnover and then pulled within two on Lillis' jumper from the top of the key. But that'd be Rochester's last made field goal the rest of the way, as cold-shooting plagued the 'Jackets once again, while the Judges knocked down three fourth-quarter triples and shot 9-for-12 from the free-throw line en route to the 58-41 victory.
 
The Judges ended the game on a 15-0 run, as the Yellowjackets missed their final nine shots and shot just 1-for-15 for the quarter.
 
Gress led Rochester with 13 points and nine rebounds, while Poulakidas scored 10 points, nine of which came in the third quarter.
 
For the Judges, Kennedy led all scorers with 20, while Ohm tallied 17 points and Brooke Reed grabbed a game-high 18 rebounds.
 
The Yellowjackets will wrap up the weekend in New York, NY with a matchup against the top-ranked NYU Violets on Sunday, Jan. 19 at 12:00 p.m.