The New York University women's basketball team picked up its 12th victory of the season on Monday night, January 11, over Hunter College 58-31 at the Hunter Sportsplex in Manhattan.
"Our goal, regardless of the opponent, is to try to be the best team we can be," said NYU Head Coach
Lauren Hall-Gregory. "There were moments where we were great defensively, moved the ball well on offense and took high-percentage shots,. And, there were moments we didn't. We've got to evaluate our defensive play following this game because, despite their shooting percentage, our expectations are higher than that."
The Violets (12-0, 1-0 University Athletic Association), ranked #4 (
D3hoops.com) and #5 (
USA Today) in the most recent Top 25 Polls, jumped all over the Hawks (6-8, 3-3 CUNYAC) from the get-go. NYU began the first quarter on a 13-2 run and took a 16-6 into the first break.
Amy Harioka shined for the Violets in the second period. With NYU leading 17-6, the junior guard began an efficient spree from beyond the arc and nailed three in a span of just under three minutes between 8:41 and 5:57. The final basket gave the Violets a 30-11 lead prior to their 32-13 halftime advantage.
NYU built on its lead with a 20-7 third quarter anchored by a 9-0 run to end the period with a 52-20 lead. Hunter outscored the Violets 11-6 in the fourth as NYU came away with the 27-point victory.
Three Violets totaled double-figures scoring, led by Harioka's game-high 13.
HIGHLIGHTS: -
Riley Wurtz and
Megan Dawe each finished with 11 points.
- Wurtz led all players with nine helpers and was a perfect 7-of-7 from the foul line. She added four steals and five rebounds.
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Kaitlyn Read finished with seven points, a game-best seven steals, and five rebounds.
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Cassidy Fontana led NYU with seven rebounds. The sophomore also had four steals.
- Jade Aponte led Hunter with 12 points.
"I'm really excited about this weekend's game and I have a really great group of girls," continued Hall-Gregory. "We just have to continue to get better on the defensive end."
The Violets will return to action this weekend when they host Emory University and the University of Rochester on Friday, January 15, and Sunday, January 17, respectively, at the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center. Tipoff against the Eagles will be at 6:00 pm and 2:00 pm versus the Yellowjackets.
