An outright University Athletic Association (UAA) title for the first time since 1997. The sixth Elite Eight appearance ever and the best field-goal percentage in program history. The second UAA Rookie of the Year and third Defensive Player of the Year of all time and four All-UAA selections.

New York University's women's basketball team accomplished all of this and more with three underclassmen among the top four on the team in minutes per game. But, as Head Coach Meg Barber said after the Violets concluded their 2021-22 campaign with a loss to Hope College on Saturday night, "basketball aside, I don't want this to end because I just love this group. They're the most amazing young women... these are complete student-athletes and I just can't say enough for how proud I am of the type of people they are... they represent NYU so well."

On the court tonight, the Violets kept the crowd of nearly 3,000 at DeVos Fieldhouse at bay for much of the game, trailing by just one point at the end of both the first quarter and half. Jordan Janowski poured in 11 first half points as NYU held Hope to just 29.4 percent shooting in the second quarter. 

The Flying Dutch led 35-34 at the break in a heavyweight clash between two of the strongest programs in the nation throughout the season. Hope Head Coach Brian Morehouse called the Violets the best team his squad has played all year. The senior-laden hosts created some separation in the third quarter of this Sectional Final, however, after Erica Miller put NYU up by one, Hope rattled off nine straight points to go up 44-36 with 6:22 on the clock.

Hope entered the fourth up 11, 60-49, but the Violets continued to fight back and encouraged the crowd to raise its volume as they came within five, 62-57, on a pull-up jumper from Miller with 8:29 left in regulation. The Flying Dutch responded by outscoring NYU 21-7 over the remainder of the game to close this one out on their home floor and punch a ticket to Pittsburgh.

The difference in the game largely came down to free throws, as Hope attempted 29 foul shots to NYU's two. 

"It's not to say the officiating, it was foul shots," Barber said. "Our game is transition, our game is to get stops and scores and the game just stopped, stopped, stopped."

The Violets' senior captains Bianca Notarainni and Meghan McLaughlin played their final game in an NYU uniform and reflected on their time in the program postgame.

"We kind of came in with Coach Barber, we were her first class and she's really built a phenomenal program," Notarainni said. "We've been very lucky to be a part of it these last four years... Every person on the team feels the energy, feels the love that each person gives to one another... It's been an eye opening experience for me and I'm definitely going to take the things I've learned in this process into the real world."

"NYU women's basketball, we call ourselves the sisterhood and we're all so close," McLaughlin added. "We're all very selfless and we care more about the team than ourselves. That shows on the court because everyone is trying to make the best pass and everyone is always looking out for each other on and off the court. It's been a great experience and I'm gonna miss it."

Freshman Belle Pellecchia shined in the hostile atmosphere of DeVos, scoring a career-high 24 points and pulling down a career-high-tying 12 boards for her third double-double of the season.

"We're really gonna miss the leadership we've had this year, definitely couldn't have done it without our two seniors and our super senior Alyssa Alvarez," Pellecchia said. "A lot of credit to them for their gratitude and their constant love on and off the court."

Sophomore and first-year Violet Janowski added 15 points and three assists, also reflecting on the remarkable season that was.

"We've been through a lot this season coming back. I didn't have a season my freshman year and we just knew from the start that this was where we wanted to be. The energy (tonight) was amazing. We love that and we feed off that. When our teammates score, it's the best feeling. We know we'll be back, we're young and we have a lot of growth. It's really exciting to be here."

NYU returns all of its top seven players in minutes per game from the 2021-22 campaign and is poised to carry this season's success for years to come.

"What I've tried to do as an alum is bring back the vision to be in this environment," Barber concluded. "Bring back that drive to get here and sort of have that mentality of 'basketball isn't just a small part, it's a big part of your experience at NYU.' These two (Notarainni and McLaughlin) are a great example of that. It's a life-changing opportunity to be a part of this program because of the people. It's not about the wins and losses, although its been an incredible season, it's about the people that we get to share this journey with."