Box Score

Clutch shots from a trio of seniors – Bianca Storts, Tana Bertino and Cara Bonito – lifted the New York University women's basketball team to a thrilling 66-57 overtime victory over rival Brandeis University in each team's University Athletic Association (UAA) opener on Saturday, January 7, at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.
 
Storts hit the shot that sent the game to overtime with 40.1 seconds left in regulation. With the Violets (8-3, 1-0) trailing 56-54, Storts gained possession at the top of the key, began to drive right and then hit a step-back jumper from just inside the arc.
 
The Judges (7-5, 0-1) had three chances to tie in the final seconds during a wild stretch. Diana Cincotta missed a triple, but Courtney Ness grabbed the offensive board and kicked it to Morgan Kendrew. Kendrew's three-point attempt also missed, and Bonito raced down court for NYU trying to get off a go-ahead shot. She dribbled off a defender's foot, however, and Kelly Ethier got off a running three just before the buzzer that also wouldn't go, sending the game to overtime.
 
In the extra session, Brandeis scored the first point of the period on a Kendrew free throw just 26 seconds in, but the Judges would not get on the scoreboard again from there. Bertino and Bonito, meanwhile, each hit huge threes for the Violets.
 
Bertino sank a triple 44 seconds into overtime, and on NYU's next possession, Bonito drilled a trey from several feet from beyond the arc with the shot clock down to 1.
 
From there, Bonito went 4-6 from the free-throw line to seal the win.
 
“You expect your senior leaders to stay poised and carry your team down the stretch,” said Violet head coach Stefano Trompeo. “This is my ninth year in the UAA, and I've learned that you have to take care of your home court. We gutted this one out.”
 
NYU appeared to be on its way to a much more comfortable win, leading by as much as 11 in the first half and entering the break up 33-26. Bonito then opened the second half with a three and a layup, putting the Violets up 12.
 
The Judges, however, slowly chipped away before going on a big run. With NYU leading 48-41, Brandeis scored 11 unanswered points to take a four-point lead with 5:36 to play. A Kendrew layup with 3:30 left then put the Judges up five, 56-51.
 
The Violets scored the final five points of the period, however, to force overtime, beginning with an Erica Franke three-point play at the 3:07 mark. Storts then hit the tying step-back in the final minute.
 
“Our post players did a goob job – they scored down low and were big on the defensive end,” commented Trompeo. “And Tana and Bianca did an outstanding job on their top two scorers.”
 
Bonito led all scorers with a season-high 18 points and added four assists. Bertino had 15 points and five rebounds, while Storts recorded 14 points, six rebounds and a career-high-tying four steals. Shelby Coon pulled down a game-best 12 boards.
 
Kendrew paced Brandeis with 17 points, while Cincotta finished with 15 points and four rebounds. Ness had six points, seven rebounds and five blocks.
 
NYU travels uptown on Tuesday for a non-conference clash at Hunter College. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 pm.