Box Score
Spurred by Maggie Ely's 17 second-half points, the New York University women's basketball team won its University Athletic Association (UAA) opener 71-61 at Brandeis University in Waltham, MA, on Saturday afternoon, December 8.
Ely's burst began with the Violets (6-5, 1-0) up 40-39 and 13:40 to play. On four successive possessions, the sophomore converted a three-point play, sank a jumper, made a steal to set up a Bianca Storts layup, and drained a three-pointer.
Cara Bonito followed with a runner in the lane, and after both teams traded possessions, Ely hit another triple and sank two free throws following a Bonito steal, completing an 18-5 NYU run and giving the Violets a huge 57-45 lead with 7:18 remaining.
Brandeis (8-4, 0-1) got as close as eight with under a minute left, but NYU went 6-for-8 from the free-throw line the rest of the way to seal a tremendous UAA-opening victory and snap a skid in which it lost five of six games.
“Any road win that you can get in conference play is just tremendous,” said head coach Stefano Trompeo. “Coming back to practice after losing five of six, our mindset had to shift to what's in front of us instead of what's behind us. Our girls fought and battled for the full 40 minutes and earned themselves a win.”
While Ely was held to just two points in the first half, Storts and Chelsea Blake carried the load in the period, combing for 18 of the Violets' 27 points. NYU led by nine, 17-8, early in the half after a layup by Bonito, but a 12-4 Judges run cut the lead to just one, 21-20, at the 5:28 mark.
Storts put an end to the run with her third three-pointer of the half, and after a Shelby Coon steal, Blake nailed a trey to make it a seven-point game. But Brandeis scored the last six points of the period to enter halftime trailing by just one.
The game stayed tight in the early stages of the second half, as the score was tied five times in the opening five minutes. But after a pair of free throws by Kasey Dean pulled the Judges to within one, Ely went off, scoring all 17 of her second-half points in the final 14 minutes on 5-for-5 shooting from the floor and 4-for-5 from the line.
“She's struggled with her shot the last few games, but I told her to keep doing what she's been doing all season,” said Trompeo of Ely. “She's a tough kid and wants to do whatever it takes to win. She hit some big shots at critical times, and that's impressive for a sophomore.”
Ely finished with a game-high 19 points and added five steals for the second straight game. Storts totaled 18 points and five rebounds, while Blake tallied 16 points, six boards and five assists despite early foul trouble. Chrissy Kilmurray had a solid all-around game, netting eight points, pulling down a game-best 10 rebounds and making three blocks inside.
Morgan Kendrew led Brandeis with 16 points and three assists. Amber Strodthoff added 12 points, eight rebounds and three assists, while Kelly Ethier netted 11 points.
The Violets return to action on Tuesday with their final non-conference regular season game, when they host Hunter College at 5:00 pm at Coles Sports Center. After the contest, NYU's and Hunter's recipients of the Martin Luther King, Jr. Award will be honored.
