Women's Basketball Falls Just Short at Brandeis

Violets Drop UAA Opener in Tight Battle

Wurtz sank four threes in the second half en route to 20 points in the period.

Box Score

Brandeis University made a late run to knock off the New York University women's basketball team 63-60 in the teams' University Athletic Association (UAA) opener on Saturday, January 5, in Waltham, MA.

The Violets (6-5, 0-1) led by five with 9:06 to play before Samantha Anderson took over for the Judges (7-5, 1-0). Down six with 2:00 left, NYU fought back and had a chance to tie in the final seconds, but Riley Wurtz's halfcourt attempt at the buzzer missed off the glass.

Highlights

- Nicole Lem led the Violets in the first half, pouring in 14 points, including a three just before the buzzer. The defense also shined in the period, forcing 18 Brandeis turnovers as NYU took a 31-30 lead into the locker room.

- Wurtz dominated in the second half, scoring 20 points after being held to four in the first. Her three-pointer with 11:41 to play put the Violets up five, and her jumper at the 9:06 mark kept the margin at five.

- Another Wurtz triple made it 54-50 at the 5:45 mark, but Anderson scored eight straight points to lead a 10-0 Judges run. With NYU still down six with 2:00 to go, Wurtz sank a triple to make it a one-possession game. With 33 seconds left, Lem made a huge steal and was fouled, hitting one of two free throws to cut the deficit to two.

- With the lead back at three after Hannah Cain went 1-2 at the line, Janelle Rodriguez had a chance to put it away for the Judges with 3.8 seconds left. She missed the front end of a one-and-one, however, giving the Violets one last chance. But, Wurtz's halfcourt desperation heave was no good.

- Wurtz led all scorers with a career-high 24 points on 9-16 shooting. Lem finished with 18 points and five rebounds, while Cassidy Jourdan sank three treys for nine points.

“I thought our players fought hard and bought into the game plan,” said Head Coach Lauren Hall-Gregory. “We just came up a little short. I reminded them that the best part about us is that we are a work in progress.”

NYU wraps up its non-conference slate on Tuesday, January 8, when they host Hunter College. Tip-off is at 5:00 pm.