Junior Michelle Bevan and senior Ilene Tsao combined for 29 points but it wasn't enough to help the Emory women's basketball on Sunday as the Eagles dropped a squeaker at Brandeis University.  The Judges improved their overall record to 8-6, 1-2 in the University Athletic Association following a 59-56 win over the Eagles who slipped to 9-5 overall, 0-3 in the conference.

Emory went into the fourth quarter with a 42-41 advantage, and with Bevan hitting a pair of buckets, along with a basket by senior Sarah Arington, led by a 48-45 count with 6:26 remaining.  The Judges scored the next four points to move into a one-point lead, but a Bevan basket followed by a three pointer by junior Shellie Kanit moved Emory into a 53-49 lead with 3:32 remaining.  Junior Frankie Pinto then personally accounted for an 8-0 Brandeis spurt that allowed the hosts to claim a 57-53 margin with 1:23 left. Junior Fran Sweeney kept the Eagle hopes alive with a clutch three pointer with 62 ticks on the clock, and then came up with a huge blocked shot on BU's next possession.  However, Emory could not score on its next opportunity, and a pair of free throws by Heather Cain with 11 seconds left put the Judges ahead by three.  With a chance to tie the game, an Emory three-point attempt from the top of the key just missed its mark, allowing the Judges to emerge with the victory.

Bevan ended the day, converting seven of her 15 field goal attempts en route to her fourth double-figure scoring effort in nine games.  Tsao was successful on six field goals in 13 tries and converted a pair of treys in three attempts.  Bevan and Tsao also tied for team honors with five rebounds.

Pinto came off the bench to lead all players with 16 points, connecting on five-of-13 field goal attempts, including four treys.  Paris Hodges chipped in 14 points. 

Brandeis shot 40.8 percent (20 of 49) from the floor and converted 41.2 percent (7 of 17) from distance.  The Eagles finished at 39.3 percent (24 of 61) from the field and 38.9 percent (7 of 18) from beyond the arc.  Free throw shooting played a factor with the Judges knocking down 12 of 15 from the stripe while the Eagles shot just three and made one. 

After holding a 19-18 lead after the first 10 minutes of play, a 9-2 Emory spurt, capped by a three pointer by Tsao gave the Eagles a 28-20 advantage with 6:39 left in the second quarter.  However, the Judges battled back to score eight of the stanza's final 10 points to draw to within 30-28 at the break.  Tsao led Emory with 12 points, sinking five-of-eight from the floor, including two triples, while Bevan chipped in seven points.  The Eagles shot 40.6 percent (13 of 32) from the floor compared to BU's 45.5 percent (10 of 22).  The Judges did manage to convert four treys in six tries.  Emory came up with 12 steals over the first two quarters, helping it to a 14-7 margin in points off turnovers.

Emory returns to action next Friday when it hosts No. 21 Carnegie Mellon in a 6:00 pm start.