The New York University women's basketball team defeated Carnegie Mellon University 72-64 in a University Athletic Association (UAA) contest on Sunday, January 13, in Pittsburgh, PA.  

The Violets (8-4, 1-2) trailed only once in the contest following the Tartans' (9-5, 0-3) opening basket. NYU went ahead 8-7, then ended the first quarter on a 17-4 run to take a 25-11 advantage after the opening 10 minutes.

Lauren Koyama's three-pointer to start the second quarter pushed the run to 20-4 before Carnegie Mellon scored six straight points.

But, that was only a slight delay in the Violets' first-half domination as they then embarked on a 20-2 streak to take a game-high 29-point lead, 48-19.

The Tartans stalled the Violets' momentum by scoring the final seven points of the half and NYU headed into the locker room with a 48-26 advantage.

As the halftime score would indicate, the Violets dominated most statistical categories over the first 20 minutes. NYU shot 51.6% (16-of-31) from the field (including 50%, 7-of-14, from three-point range) while holding its opponent to just 25.8% (8-of-31). The Violets also dominated on the boards with a 29-15 rebounding advantage.

"Our ball movement was excellent in the first half and we were able to find the shooters," said Head Coach Meg Barber. "We played with high energy on defense because we were able to make our shots."

The second half was a completely different story.

Carnegie Mellon extended its streak to 11-0 by scoring the first four points of the second half and crept within 18, 48-30. Casey O'Connor's layup at the eight-minute mark finally halted the streak. 

But, the Tartans continued to edge closer and pulled within 15, 54-39. However, Janean Cuffee stymied the rally with a four-point play with 2:49 left in the third quarter and the Violets went on to carry a 61-43 lead into the final quarter.

Carnegie Mellon continuing chipping away and pulled within seven, 71-64, on Leah Weslock's three-pointer with just seconds remaining in the contest before Annie Barrett's free throw ended the scoring.

"We need to learn to maintain our defensive intensity when we're not make shots," Barber revealed. "But, we were able to finish and knock down some free throws at the end."  

Cuffee finished with a team-high 19 points, while Katie Foos contributed 18.

Olivia Linebarger collected a game-high 12 rebounds. Barrett added 10 while also dishing out six assists.

Makayla Filiere led the Tartans with 19 points. 

"It's great to get a road win on a Sunday in the UAA," Barber concluded. "I'm just happy for the girls for all the hard work they've put in."

The Violets return home on Friday, January 18, to host Washington University in St. Louis in another UAA match-up. Game time is set for 6:00pm at the Sportsplex in Manhattan.