The New York University women's basketball team, returning to the court for the first time since December 5, defeated Brooklyn College 77-35 on Wednesday afternoon, December 30, in Brooklyn, NY.
The Violets, who are currently ranked #4 in the nation by
D3hoops.com and #5 by
USA Today, are now 8-0 this season.
Amy Harioka led a balanced scoring attack with 16 points.
Megan Dawe and
Kaitlyn Read each had 12.
NYU took a bit of time to get the rust out, falling behind 5-2 and scoring only on a bucket by Harioka over the first five and a half minutes of the game.
However, Dawe's layup at the 4:16 mark sparked a 7-0 run and the Violet defense shutout Brooklyn (7-4) the rest of the period as NYU took a 9-5 lead after the first quarter.
"I thought that maybe we were one step slow in the first five minutes, but our defense created a lot of opportunities for us until we got our confidence and our rhythm back," said NYU Head Coach Lauren Hall-Gregory.Lindsey Oldshue opened the second quarter with consecutive three-pointers and NYU raced to a 30-14 halftime lead.
The Violets extended their lead to a game-high 43 points on
Simone Jacques' layup with only 1:59 remaining.
"It was good to get a game under us," Hall-Gregory continued. "No matter what you do in practice, I think there's nothing like a game to help get things going and regain your confidence."
HIGHLIGHTS:-
Riley Wurtz and Oldshue each finished with nine points.
- Dawe and Read each contributed a game-high eight rebounds. Read also led the way with five assists and seven steals.
- The 40 turnovers committed by Brooklyn were the highest total of any NYU opponent this season, while the Bulldogs' point total was the lowest of any Violet opponent.
- The Violets' previous game was a 59-54 victory at Emmanuel College.
- Taylor Gallagher led Brooklyn with 13 points.
The Violets return to action this weekend when they host their annual Holiday Classic at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan. The squad will host Kean University on Saturday, January 2, at 5:00 pm, and Middlebury College on Sunday, January 3, also at 5:00 pm.
