Box Score
The New York University women's basketball team pulled to within seven late but ultimately fell to Case Western Resevere University 78-67 in University Athletic Association (UAA) play on Friday night, January 14, at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland, OH.
The loss dropped the Violets (7-6) to 1-1 in the UAA, while the Spartans (8-5) improved to 2-0. The University of Chicago also improved to 2-0, joining Case as the only other unbeaten in Association play, with an 87-59 home win over the University of Rochester.
Against Case, NYU fell in a big hole early, as a 17-0 first-half Spartan run made it 32-17 at the 4:22 mark. The Violets trailed by as many as 24 early in the second half before fighting their way back, eventually cutting the lead to seven, 66-59, with 1:18 to play. But the large deficit proved too much for NYU to overcome.
“When you play in the UAA, especially on the road, you can't rely on digging yourself out of a 20-point deficit,” said head coach Stefano Trompeo. “I really appreciated the effort and the guts the team showed to fight back. But the moral of the story is you can't let it get to that point – you have to bring the energy from the first minute.”
Erin Hollinger, the UAA's leading scorer entering the night, carried Case in the first half, scoring 14 points in the period, including six straight during the 17-0 run. Cara Bonito helped the Violets bring the deficit down to 14 entering halftime after hitting a pair of free throws and then stealing an errant inbounds pass under the basket and going coast-to-coast for a layup.
But Case again went on a big run to start the second half. After Chrissy Kilmurray hit a pair of free throws for the Violets to start the period, the Spartans went on a 12-0 run, led by Evy Iacono, who drained back-to-back three-pointers during the spurt.
Maggie Ely stopped the run with a triple of her own for three of her 19 second-half points, helping begin a 21-7 NYU run over the next 10 minutes. Behind pressure defense that forced eight turnovers during the run and a smaller lineup featuring four guards, the Violets cut the deficit to nine, at 62-53, with 3:44 left.
After a Hollinger layup and a pair of free throws from Marissa Miles put the Spartans up 13, Ely again fought to bring NYU back, hitting a bucket to start a 6-0 run and then capping it with a pull-up jumper on the baseline, bringing the Violets to within seven, 66-59, with 1:18 left in regulation.
“She took some big shots down the stretch to get us back into it,” commented Trompeo on Ely. “But we need that sense of urgency from everybody for the full 40 minutes. We can't turn it on and off.”
Despite that sense of urgency, NYU would get no closer than seven, as Case went 12-for-14 from the free-throw line the rest of the way to seal the victory.
Ely finished with a career-high 23 points and added six rebounds and a game-high four steals. Kelly Loughney recorded a double-double inside, netting 12 points and corralling 12 boards. Bonito and Kilmurray also scored in double figures, with 11 points each, and Bonito doled out four assists.
Hollinger led all scorers with 25 points while shooting 10-for-13 from the floor. Caitlin Henry added 14 points and seven rebounds for Case, while Iacono scored 10 points and dished out a game-leading six assists.
NYU returns to UAA action on Sunday when it travels to Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA. Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 pm.
