The New York University women's basketball team advanced in the 2018 Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Championship with a 61-54 quarterfinal victory over Saint Vincent College in a game hosted by Washington & Jefferson College in Washington, PA, on Friday, March 2.

NYU (17-10) now moves on to Saturday's semifinal where it will take on Misericordia University.

The Violets trailed 20-13 after the first quarter and 27-24 at halftime, but used a 9-0 run to take a seven-point lead midway through the third quarter.

Saint Vincent (19-10) rallied to close the deficit to one point, 41-40, after three quarters and tied the game at 45-45 with 7:32 left in regulation.

NYU scored the next six points and never led by less than three points the rest of the way.

Kaitlyn Read scored 19 points to lead all scorers, while Kayla Patterson chipped in with 11.

Maria Morgan and Taylor Boring each scored 12 for the Bearcats.

"I'm really proud of our toughness. St. Vincent was an aggressive, scrappy team and we found a way to win," said Head Coach Lauren-Hall Gregory. 

OTHER HIGHLIGHTS:

- Cassidy Fontana was productive for the Violets, totaling seven points and a career-high six steals.

- Gabby Heinsinger drained three shots from long-range to help NYU get back in the game when it trailed early.

- Olivia Linebarger grabbed a game-high eight rebounds. Lauren Brown and Patterson each chipped in on the boards as well, grabbing six apiece.

"Different players stepped up at different times and helped create momentum for us," Hall-Gregory added. 

Tip-off for NYU's semifinal game is slated for 2pm on Saturday back at W&J.