The New York University women's basketball team came away with a 70-63 comeback victory over Lehman College on Friday night, March 4, during its First Round NCAA Division III Championship contest in Brunswick, ME, on the campus of Bowdoin College.
NYU (19-7) fell behind 22-8 after a tough first quarter, but rebounded by outscoring Lehman (20-8) in every period thereafter. First Team All-University Athletic Association (UAA) performers
Megan Dawe and
Kaitlyn Read once again led the way for the Violets. The duo combined for 43 points overall to lead NYU to the seven-point victory.
"Kaitlyn and Megan put the team on their backs down the stretch and hit some big shots," said NYU Head Coach
Lauren Hall-Gregory. "Great teams can figure out how to play through adversity, go to the rim and get those stops like we did tonight. I'm just really proud of the way they were able to stay positive and keep after it."
The Violets shot just 29.7 percent from the floor in the first half and trailed by nine, 37-28, heading into the break. Arrely Del Rosario of the Lightning was the main reason NYU trailed as the Lehman guard finished the half with 12 points, six assists and four steals. The Violets were able to neutralize the Lightning's leading scorer in the second half, though, and held Del Rosario to just five points and forced her into four turnovers.
The third quarter marked a turning point for the Violets as Read started off the period with three-straight three-point baskets, followed by a layup, to score NYU's first 11 points of the half. The junior guard finished with a game-high 22 points and a team-best 13 rebounds for her seventh double-double of the season.
"It was tough shooting for all of us in the first half, but we just came out and played confidently in the second half," said Read. "Just because you're missing shots, doesn't mean you won't make more. I had to play more confidently from behind the arc, and I just happened to hit those shots."
Dawe followed with a layup of her own at the 4:49 mark in the third to bring the Violets within three at 44-41.
Riley Wurtz put an exclamation point on the run for NYU with a three-pointer at 4:15 to tie the game 44-44 – the first tie of the contest. The Violets outscored Lehman 22-17 in the third and trailed 54-50 heading into the fourth.
The final period was all Violets as NYU outscored the Lightning 20-9. NYU started the quarter on a 16-2 run and took its first lead of the contest at 57-56 after Dawe hit a pair of foul shots with 8:48 remaining. The run, which began with an
Amy Harioka three just six seconds into the fourth, ended with a Harioka three, as well, at the 4:25 mark. That 10-point lead, 66-56, was the largest of the game for NYU.
HIGHLIGHTS: - Dawe finished with 21 points – a game-high 16 in the second half – and five rebounds in 31 minutes.
"I just had to come in more confident for the second half," said Dawe. "We've played some really tough teams in the UAA before this, and I don't think very many teams get that opportunity to have that experience before NCAA's."
- Wurtz finished with a team-best nine assists to go along with nine rebounds, seven points and two steals in 34 minutes.
- Karrin Walker (20 points, game-high 15 rebounds) and Del Rosario (17 points, game-high 11 assists) led the Lightning attack.
"We're excited to move on – only 32 teams in the whole country get a chance to do this," said Hall-Gregory. "Whoever we play will be a great team and we'll do our best to prepare."
NYU will return to action tomorrow night, Saturday, March 5, when it faces Bowdoin at 7:00 pm.
