The New York University women's basketball team returned to action for the first time in 18 days but showed no signs of rust as the squad produced a 66-42 victory over Farmingdale State College in the first round of the NYU Holiday Classic on Saturday, December 29, at the Sportsplex in Manhattan.
Competing for the first time since a 76-59 win over Hunter College on December 11, NYU (6-2) dominated from the start. After falling behind the Rams (1-8) 4-0, the Violets scored the next 18 points and never led by less than 12 the rest of the way in capturing their fourth straight victory.
"Even though we weren't all together during the break, the players checked in with me individually and they did what they needed to do to stay ready," said Head Coach
Meg Barber. "Whether it was playing pick-up or conditioning on their own, they put themselves in a position to be successful today."
NYU led 18-6 after the first quarter and 36-12 at halftime.
Bianca Notarainni led the way for the Violets over the game's first 20 minutes, scoring 10 points on an efficient 4-of-6 from the field while also contributing seven rebounds.
Janean Cuffee also had 10 points on 5-of-8 shooting from the field.
The onslaught continued into the second half as the lead grew to as many as 32 points, 53-21, in the third quarter.
"I thought as a team we were solid across the board," Barber said. "Everyone had a chance to see action, and get some playing time after working so hard in practice."
Katie Foos led all scorers with 20 points, connecting on 6-of-8 three-point attempts. She added five rebounds, two blocks and a steal in only 16 minutes of action.
"Katie had a very strong game, especially offensively," Barber said.
Notarainni finished with 12 points and a game-high eight rebounds, while
Annie Barrett led the way with six assists.
Nia Miller had a team-high nine points for Farmingdale State.
The Violets will face Washington and Lee University in the second round of the NYU Holiday Classic on Sunday at 2:00 pm at the Sportsplex.
