The New York University women's basketball team defeated the College of Mount Saint Vincent 78-40 on Saturday, November 17, to give
Meg Barber her first-career victory as a head coach.
"I think it was special to see our team win the right way this afternoon," said Barber, a 2002 NYU graduate. "It was a total team effort and we showed our defensive identity. This group is working really hard and I was happy to see them rewarded the way they were today."
NYU evened its record at 1-1, while the Dolphins were playing in their season opener at the Peter Jay Sharpe Center in Riverdale, NY.
Bianca Notarainni scored 10 points as the Violets outscored CMSV 21-13 in the first quarter and NYU used a 14-3 run that bridged the first and second frame to help the squad take control of the game.
"We settled down midway through the first quarter and found open spots in high-percentage areas," added Barber. "We had a bit of a defensive let-down early on, but we regrouped."
NYU extended its lead to 37-19 at halftime and led by as many as 43 in the second half before ultimately winning the game 78-40.
Notarainni finished with 16 points and was joined in double figures by
Lauren Koyama (game-high 18 points),
Janean Cuffee (10 points) and
Katie Foos (10 points).
"Janean scored today, but more importantly she made the other team hesitant offensively," explained Barber. "Her impact was beneficial to everyone on the floor."
Nine different Violets found their way into the scoring column as the team shot 11-of-24 from long range, buoyed by Koyama's 6-for-10 effort from deep.
Meghan McLaughlin grabbed a game-best eight rebounds for NYU, which out-rebounded the Dolphins 43-23 in Saturday's victory.
"It was a goal to out-work them on the boards and we did that," said Barber. "We showed toughness on the boards and didn't wait for the ball to fall into our hands."
The Violets will take the week off and return to the court on Sunday, November 25, when they travel to Smith College in Northampton, MA, for a 3pm tip-off.
"Our group has showed that anyone can step up during any given game," concluded Barber. "That's going to be huge for us as we move forward."
