The New York University women's basketball team opened its 2018-19 season on Sunday, November 11, and fell to the College of Staten Island 53-43 on Staten Island, NY.
Sunday's game was not only the first of the season for the Violets, but also the first under Head Coach
Meg Barber, who took over in June.
"There are plenty of positives to take away from today's game," said Barber. "I thought our defense was great for most of the game, for example, we only gave up nine points in the second and third quarters, combined. We also played really hard until the final whistle, which is very important."
NYU was led offensively by sophomore
Lauren Koyama, who scored 15 points, all of which came from behind the three-point line.
The Violets did struggle as at team, however, as they shot just 8-34 (23.5%) from deep in Sunday's loss.
Freshman
Bianca Notarainni opened the scoring, draining a three-pointer just 14 seconds into the contest. NYU managed just five points throughout the rest of the quarter and trailed the Dolphins 16-8 after 10 minutes.
Both teams struggled offensively in the second quarter, as the Violets outscored CSI 5-2 and trailed 18-13 as the teams went into their locker rooms for halftime.
NYU scored the first five points of the third stanza to tie the contest at 18 apiece, but the Dolphins answered with a 7-2 run to close the quarter and carried that momentum into the fourth quarter. CSI led by as many as 11 midway through the fourth quarter and withheld a late NYU rally to hold on for the victory and remain unbeaten through two games this season.
"We were able to cut into their lead late, but you have to give them credit. They hit their free throws down the stretch," added Barber.
Annie Barrett led NYU with seven rebounds and seven assists in more than 39 minutes of action, while Megan McEwan was CSI's top performer, totaling 20 points while playing all 40 minutes.
In addition to Notarianni, fellow freshmen
Lauren Gast and
Meghan McLaughlin made their collegiate debuts for NYU on Sunday.
"As a group, the freshmen showed a lot of poise and competitiveness," concluded Barber. "I'm looking for them to continue to increase that competitiveness as the season goes on, but they showed they'll be able to contribute for us."
The Violets return to action on Saturday, November 17, when they take on the College of Mount Saint Vincent at 12pm in Riverdale, NY.
