Case Western Reserve University junior guard/ forward Isabella Mills led all scorers with 17 points, and sophomore forward Preet Gill came off the bench to score a career-high 15 points, but it was not enough for the Spartans, who suffered a 61-58 at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland, Ohio on Sunday afternoon.

The Spartans dropped to 7-15 overall following the loss, while Brandeis improved to 7-13. Both teams are currently tied for seventh in the University Athletic Association with a 2-9 conference record.

In addition to her 17 points, which put her over the 500 mark for her career, Mills added four rebounds, two assists, a block and three steals. Gill was an efficient five-of-six from the floor and added a five-of-five showing from the free throw line, while collecting five rebounds.

After Brandeis jumped out to a 21-12 lead following the first quarter, CWRU was able to work its way back into the game, and eventually take a 31-28 lead into halftime. A layup by Gill and threes on back-to-back possessions by Mills and first-year guard/ forward Lucy Vanderbeck pulled CWRU back withing a point, 21-20, with 8:08 left in the half, and at the 7:03 mark, Gill added two free throws to give the Spartans the lead. CWRU led by as many as three during the period, including the 31-28 advantage they took into the break.

CWRU still led by three after a jumper by sophomore guard Margaret Terry with 7:54 to play in the quarter set the score to 35-32. However, Brandeis answered back, tying the game with a three on their next possession, and eventually led by a game-high 12 points, 52-40, with 1:41 left in the third. The Spartans once again chipped away at the Judges' advantage, cutting the lead to eight by the end of the third as part of a 9-0 run that went into the fourth quarter and saw CWRU get within three points, 52-49, with 6:34 remaining in the game. CWRU kept within striking distance for the rest of the game, and were down just three with the ball in the closing seconds of the contest, but could not get a shot off to tie the game before time expired.

As a team, the Spartans shot 32.8% (20-of-61) overall and 17.9% (five-of-28) from three-point range on Sunday.

Caitlin Gresko led all Brandeis players with 12 points, while Emma Reavis finished with nine points, nine rebounds and nine assists.

Case Western Reserve will embark on its final road trip of the season next weekend, facing UAA opponents Emory on Friday night and Rochester on Sunday afternoon.