Sizzling Start Lifts High-Powered Violets Past Polytechnic, 78-51

Hum-Traverso Leads Balanced Attack as NYU Shoots 69.0% in Opening Half

Jen Hum-Traverso made all four of her three-point tries.

Buoyed by one of the best 20-minute stretches in school history, the New York University women's basketball team opened up a 50-20 halftime lead en route to a commanding 78-51 victory over the Polytechnic Institute of NYU on Tuesday evening in Brooklyn, NY.

Jen Hum-Traverso and Tana Bertino each went 3-for-3 from three-point range during the first half as the Violets (4-1) shot a blistering 69.0% (20-for-29) from the floor while knocking eight of their 10 long-range attempts prior to intermission.

Hum-Traverso enjoyed her third consecutive double-digit scoring game, leading four players in double figures with 14 points. Chelsea Blake poured in 10 of her season-high 13 tallies during the opening 20 minutes and added four steals, while Grace Carmen chipped in 12 points and six boards. For good measure, Maggie Ely posted personal bests of 10 points and six caroms, respectively.

"I was very pleased with how we started the game," NYU head coach Stefano Trompeo observed. "I challenged them to come out with a focused mindset and I think they did that very well. I thought that we weren't starting games well and that was very important for us. We clicked from the start today."

NYU set the tone against the Fighting Blue Jays (3-1) quickly, with Hum-Traverso taking and making two treys to spark a 20-5 surge during the first 6:56. Bertino scored all of her career-best nine points on three opening half treys while Blake provided a potent force off the bench, making five of her six shots and contributed three steals in 10 first-half minutes.

"Once a couple of people started hitting shots, it's kind of a domino effect," Trompeo said. "We're skilled enough where if we're confident, we'll make shots."

Eleven different players scored for the Violets, with no one seeing more court time than Carmen's 23 minutes. Overall, NYU shot 50.9% (29-for-57), with even better numbers coming from beyond the arc (58.8%, 10-for-17) and at the charity stripe (76.9%, 10-for-13).

Trompeo's squad also owned a 41-25 rebounding edge in its final contest before beginning an eight-day break that ends next Thursday, Dec. 3, with a 6 p.m. tip-off at Skidmore College in Saratoga Springs, NY.

"I feel good about coming back from Thanksgiving with the girls having a good taste in their mouth," Trompeo said.