The New York University women's basketball team used a strong effort from a pair of sophomores, Katie Foos and Janean Cuffee, to defeat visiting Hunter College 76-59 on Tuesday, December 11, at the Sportsplex in Manhattan.

Foos scored 15 of her game-high 23 points in the first half and Cuffee tallied 15 of her 19 points after halftime as NYU won its third-straight game and improved to 5-2 this season. Hunter saw its record drop to 4-5 with the loss.

Hunter led 24-23 after a back-and-forth first quarter that saw Foos score 12 points. NYU found its defense in the second period, holding the Hawks to just four points while scoring 17 of its own to lead 38-28 at halftime.

"I thought our toughness kicked in during the second quarter," said NYU Head Coach Meg Barber. "This is a tough time for our student-athletes with final exams underway for some, and they showed it early. But, in that second quarter we were really focused and played tough."

Cuffee took over from there, helping lead the Violets to a 20-point lead, 64-44, after three quarters. At one point in the third quarter, NYU extended its lead to a game-high 26 points. 

Hunter cut into the margin slightly in the final 10 minutes to make the final score 76-59.

Cuffee and Foos' sophomore classmates Lauren Koyama and Casey O'Connor each chipped in six points, while junior captain Annie Barrett finished with a game-high and career-best nine assists. 

"Janean was great in the second half," added Barber. "She picked her spots to be aggressive and her teammates were shooting well, which opened up the lane for her."

The Violets dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Hawks 45-24, as Foos (nine rebounds), Bianca Notarainni (six rebounds) and Shaye McGoey (six rebounds) led the way on the glass.

Ashley Arias led four Hawks in double figures with 15 points. 

NYU will now take a break for final exams and the holidays and will return to the court on Saturday, December 29, for the first day of the NYU Holiday Classic. The Violets are slated to tip-off against Farmingdale State at 5pm.

"We now have some time to take a breath and keep getting better," added Barber. "We've played a lot of basketball these past few weeks and now we have a chance to learn and grow a bit. We know what's ahead within the UAA (University Athletic Association), so its important we keep getting better."