The sixth-ranked New York University women's basketball team won its ninth straight game, defeating Emory University 64-60 on Friday, February 17, in Atlanta, GA.

The Violets (20-2, 10-2) entered the contest tied for first place with Washington University in St. Louis atop the University Athletic Association (UAA).

NYU trailed by four points early in the game, took a 15-14 lead after the first quarter and expanded it to four, 28-24, at halftime.

The Violets started the second half on an 11-4 streak to take a game-high 11-point lead, 39-28.

The Eagles responded by scoring the next nine points to pull within two.

Natalie Bruns' layup halted the streak, but Emory kept pushing and took a 47-45 lead at the end of the third quarter.

Bruns then took the team on her back, scoring the first nine points of the final quarter and giving NYU a lead it would never relinquish. 

Emory did pull within two on Morgan Laudick's three-pointer with 25 seconds left in the game.

But, Caroline Peper's free throw gave the Violets a three-point lead and NYU survived three three-point attempts by the Eagles before Belle Pellecchia's free throw ended the scoring. 

Bruns finished with game highs of 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Pellecchia contributed 16 points, eight rebounds and five steals.

Jenny Walker also reached double-digits with 10 points.   

NYU dominated the inside game, leading Emory in points in the paint 38-24, while also winning the turnover battle 9-18.

"We have a tough duo inside. They had to pick their poison and they were doubling Jenny," explained Head Coach Meg Barber. "Natalie was finding spots on the floor where she could be effective and her teammates were able to get her the ball.

"Their team is hard working and has a real never-say-die attitude," Barber added. "We knew it would take a full 40-minute effort to beat them, and this one literally came down to the final seconds." 

The Violets return to the court for their final UAA road contest of the season when they take on the University of Rochester on Sunday, February 19. Tip-off in Rochester, NY, is set for 2:00pm.