The New York University women's basketball team, ranked #8 in the nation by the USA Today and #9 by D3hoops.com, defeated #6/#8 Washington University in St. Louis 66-64 in a University Athletic Association (UAA) contest on Sunday afternoon, January 24, in St. Louis, MO.Amy Harioka's three-pointer with 33 seconds left gave NYU its first lead, 65-64, since midway in the second quarter.
Riley Wurtz added a foul shot with six seconds left, and the Bears' Natalie Orr's three-pointer at the buzer fell short as NYU held on for the win.
"This group is very resilient, very confident," said Head Coach
Lauren Hall-Gregory. "They believe they can win. In these tight games, those intangible qualities show through."
The Violets (15-1, 4-1) raced to a 14-2 lead to start the game, but the Bears (13-3, 4-1) cut their deficit to 18-16 after the first quarter.Kaitlyn Read opened the second quarter with a layup, but Washington scored the next six points to take its first lead. Several ties and lead changes followed before the Bears grabbed a 34-32 halftime lead. They held their advantage throughout the third quarter, leading by as many as eight before settling for a 53-49 lead heading into the fourth.
Washington increased its lead to a game-high nine points, 61-52, with 4:54 left remaining.
However, the Violets closed the game on a 14-3 streak to secure the win and sweep their UAA midwestern weekend (NYU defeated the University of Chicago on Friday).
"Anytime you can go on the road in the UAA and pick up one win it's great," Hall-Gregory added. "To get a sweep, especially after a home loss (last Sunday), has us back in the right direction."
HIGHLIGHTS:- Megan Dawe finished with game highs of 23 points and 10 rebounds for the Violets. She scored 15 points in the second half.- Harioka finished with 12 points, including 4-of-7 from three-point range. She also contributed a team-high five assists.- Read finished with 14 points, four rebounds, three assists, and a steal.
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Maya Wasowicz aided the NYU comeback by hitting two three-pointers in the fourth quarter.
- Amanda Martinez led Washington with 13 points and eight rebounds.
"We executed much better in the second half," Hall-Gregory concluded. "And, having a veteran team really makes a difference."The Violets return to action on Friday, January 29, when they host Carnegie Mellon University. Tip-off is set for 6:00 pm.
