Box Score
The New York University women's basketball team staved off a late rally from Carnegie Mellon University to pull out an 81-74 victory at Skibo Gymansium in Pittsburgh, PA, on Sunday afternoon, January 16.
The victory improved the Violets (8-6) to 2-1 in the UAA, one game behind Case Western Reserve University and the University of Chicago, both of which remained unbeaten. The win also extended NYU's winning streak against the Tartans (2-12, 0-3) to 16.
Free-throw shooting was the difference in this win. The Violets got to the line 35 times, nearly double that of Carnegie Mellon, which made 17 trips. NYU took advantage of the wide disparity, sinking 28 of its free-throw attempts for an 80.0% clip (it entered the game shooting 66.7% at the charity stripe).
“At halftime, I said to the team that if you go to the basket you better be aggressive and get something out of it,” said head coach Stefano Trompeo. “That aggressive nature played to our favor, and we did a good job of making the foul shots.”
Making all those foul shots helped the Violets build an 11-point lead, 73-62, with 4:20 to play. But the Tartans made a late push to come back, going on a 9-0 run to pull to within just two, 73-71, with 1:35 left.
With NYU needing a bucket to stop the rally, Chrissy Kilmurray came through, corralling an offensive board, going straight up for a layup and drawing the foul. Kilmurray completed the three-point play at the line, making it a two-possession game, 76-71, with 1:06 remaining.
Kilmurray then came up with the defensive board on the other end as Britt Phillips missed a layup attempt. Chelsea Blake sealed the victory for the Violets at the free-throw line, going 4-for-4 to help NYU hang on.
“Carnegie always plays hard for the full 40 minutes, and we knew they were going to make a run late,” commented Trompeo. “Those were big plays late from Chrissy and Chelsea, and that's what you expect from two senior captains.”
The Violets entered halftime leading by eight, 36-28, and continued to build that lead in the second half behind big shots from several players. Tana Bertino provided a huge spark off the bench, pouring in 13 points – eight in the second period – including a big three at the 10:34 mark to give NYU its biggest lead of the game, 58-45.
Carnegie Mellon spouted off the next six points, but Blake came through with several big buckets, and Maggie Ely led the charge to the free-throw line. Despite being held to just three field goals, Ely reached the charity stripe 16 times – just one fewer than the Tartans as a team. She sank 13 of those attempts, tied for seventh in school history for free throws made in a game, to finish with a team-leading 21 points.
Blake added 15 points, nine of which came in the second half, and six rebounds. Cara Bonito joined Bertino as a double-digit scorer off the bench, netting 11 points to go along with four assists. Kilmurray led all players on the glass with 12 rebounds.
Jennifer Larsen led the Tartans with 24 points and 10 rebounds. Jacquie Shaw added 21 points before fouling out.
The Violets return to the hardwood on Friday night when they host defending National Champion and 10th-ranked Washington University at Coles Sports Center. Game time is set for 6:00 pm.
