Brown University
3-1
Hampton
1-3
Steeves, Gaziano Propel Women's Basketball Past Hampton, 73-66
11/24/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
STOCKTON, Calif. – Junior forward Erika Steeves posted a double-double on 16 points and career-high 19 rebounds, sophomore guard Justine Gaziano scored a team-high 21 points, and Brown University women's basketball beat Hampton University, 73-66, at the Turkey Tip-Off at the University of the Pacific's Spanos Center on Friday afternoon.
"I'm so proud of the girls because between the travel, the holiday yesterday, and playing a very good Hampton team, we knew it was going to be a challenge," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "It was a great win, and I'm glad we've got a chance to play in the championship game tomorrow. This team has followed the game plan really well in every game this year."
The Bears (3-1) held a 35-25 lead at the half and used an 8-0 run inside of the final five minutes to hold off the Pirates (1-3) – winners of six of the last eight MEAC Tournaments – who pulled within 59-57 with 5:24 to play.
"I was really happy about the last five minutes – we took a charge, got some blocked shots," Behn said. "Taylor Will helped us get some stops, Janie White got a big bucket, and Justine Gaziano was great on the foul line. Erika Steeves had a really good game – our presence at the four and five was strong – and Dominique Leonidas played great in the second half."
Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) tallied her first double-double of the season and the 10th of her career, hitting 6-of-13 shots from the field in her season-high scoring effort. She scored in double figures for the 30th time in her career.
Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) hit 10-of-10 free throws as part of her 21 points for her third 20-point game of the season. She scored in double figures for the 25th time in her career.
Junior guard Taylor Will (Arlington Heights, Ill.) totaled 15 points, a career-high nine rebounds, and a team-high three assists.
Junior guard Shayna Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.) netted nine points while senior forward Janie White (Clarksville, Tenn.) and freshman guard Dominique Leonidas (Stone Mountain, Ga.) both played key roles down the stretch. Leonidas scored all six of her points in the second half while White netted four of her six points inside of the final four minutes.
The Bears led the Pirates in fast break points, 10-0, while shooting 82.6 percent (19-of-23) from the foul line compared to 60.9-percent (14-of-23) free throw shooting for Hampton.
After Hampton opened the game with a 7-0 lead, the Bears countered with an 8-2 spurt to pull within 9-8 at the 4:44 mark of the first quarter. Four different Bears scored during the run, including a long jump shot from Mehta. The Pirates regained a 15-8 edge before the Bears netted the last six points of the quarter, including a floater from Gaziano before the buzzer, to cut their deficit to 15-14 at the end of one.
Brown used a 14-2 run in the second quarter with Mehta and Steeves both hitting 3-pointers during the streak to push Brown ahead 28-19 with 3:05 left in the half. The burst completed a 20-4 run stretching back to the first quarter. A 3-pointer from Gaziano, put-back from Will, and layup from Gaziano helped the Bears stake themselves to a 35-25 advantage at halftime.
Steeves scored five points to open the third quarter as Brown pulled ahead 43-32 with 5:41 to go in the frame. Steeves followed with a 3-pointer from the top of the key, but Hampton used a 10-3 run to pull within 46-42. Back-to-back layups from Leonidas stemmed the run, and a mid-range jumper from Will kept Brown up 52-46 at the end of the third quarter.
Despite a basket in the post from White, Hampton used a 9-2 streak to slice its deficit to 54-53 with 7:27 to play. The Pirates remained within 59-57 with 5:24 to go, but Brown then used an 8-0 run to extend its lead to 67-57 with 1:08 left, holding Hampton without a point for a 4:34 span. During the run, the Bears forced a shot clock violation and backcourt violation before taking a charge. Gaziano hit six free throws in the final 48 seconds to seal the win.
For Hampton, Allina Starr scored a game-high 23 points, K'lynn Willis netted 14 points, and Monnazjea Finney-Smith grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds.
Next, Brown plays Pacific in the Turkey Tip-Off championship game on Saturday at 6:30 p.m. ET (3:30 p.m. PT).
Game Notes:
Brown improved to 2-1 all-time vs. Hampton … Justine Gaziano and Taylor Will have both scored in double figures in all four games this season … Gaziano, Will, and Erika Steeves scored in double figures for the 25th, 24th, and 30th times in their respective careers … Steeves grabbed 10 or more rebounds in a game for the 13th time in her career … Gaziano scored 20 points in a game for the ninth time in her career … With her 10-for-10 free throw shooting effort, Gaziano tied for the third most free throws made in a game without a miss in program history … Will tied or set a career high in rebounding for the third time this season … As a program, Brown is making its fifth trip to the state of California.
