The top-ranked New York University women's basketball team continued its perfect season with a 67-56 win over Washington University in St. Louis on Friday, January 19, at the Paulson Center in Manhattan.

The Violets (15-0, 4-0) scored the first 14 points of the game and never trailed in their University Athletic Association (UAA) win over the Bears (8-7, 1-3).

NYU's suffocating defense held Wash U. to only four points in the first quarter, as the Violets took a 17-4 lead.

"They have such a strong interior game that we put a lot of emphasis on making sure that we were helping each other out defensively," said Head Coach Meg Barber. "We were focused on boxing out and limiting them to one shot." 

The advantage was 27-14 at halftime, with the Violets holding the Bears to just 25 percent shooting (6-of-24) over the first 20 minutes.  

Lexy Harris' bucket brought the Bears to within 11 to open the second half, but NYU scored the next six points to maintain its double-digit lead. 

The Violets took a 19-point lead, 43-24, on Caroline Peper's three-pointer with 5:48 remaining in the third quarter.

However, the Bears followed with a 13-0 run to creep within six points, 43-37.

NYU broke the streak when Natalie Bruns hit a layup with just 32 seconds left and NYU led 45-37 after the third quarter.

"We just had to regain our composure and get back to what we were doing," Barber explained. "It's a game of runs, and we knew they would have one in the second half. So, we had to come back with one of our own."

An 8-0 run to start the fourth quarter re-established a double-digit advantage and the Violets went on to take a game-high 23-point lead, 65-42, on Bruns' long jumper with 3:57 remaining.  

Bruns, who finished with a game-high 22 points, also blocked three shots. She now has 182 in her career, tied for the all-time program record with Chantal Kazay, class of 2005.   

Peper finished with 14 points and Belle Pellecchia added 10. 

"I was feeling pretty good out there tonight," Peper said. "We feed off each other's success."   

Pellecchia and Morgan Morrison each grabbed 10 rebounds, while Megan Bauman led the way with seven assists.

Off to their best start since 2014-15, the Violets continue their UAA weekend when they host the University of Chicago on Sunday. Tip-off is set for 2:00pm at the Paulson Center.