The New York University women's basketball team picked up its second victory of the young season with a 65-36 decision over Babson College on Saturday, November 9, at the John A. Paulson Center in Manhattan. 

Playing its second game in two days as part of The Scholar's Classic, the defending National Champion Violets never trailed.

After going 31-0 en route to last year's NCAA Division III title, NYU has now won 33 straight games.

The Violets' suffocating defense was on full display as the home team posted leads of 10-5 after the first quarter and 27-11 at halftime. The Beavers managed to exceed that total by scoring 13 points in the third quarter, but the Violets clamped down a bit in the final quarter and held Babson to only 12 in securing the victory.    

NYU has permitted its two opponents (including MIT on Friday), only a total of 75 points over the two days.  

"We say all the time that we're going to lead with our defense," said Head Coach Meg Barber. "When we can defend like we did today, we're going to be a hard team to stop."

On Saturday, Belle Pellecchia led the Violets with 16 points. The three-time University Athletic Association (UAA) Defensive Player of the Year also had three steals.

Natalie Bruns (11 points) was the only other Violet to reach double figures. She also totaled game-highs of eight rebounds, seven assists, five steals, and five blocks.

"It's always great to get two wins to start the season, especially on our home court," Pellecchia said. "I think that anyone on any day can lead our team in scoring. We don't pay much attention to that. We just care about moving the ball and getting open shots." 
 
Overall, the Violets forced 33 turnovers and held Babson to 32.6 percent shooting (14-of-43) from the field.  

Next up for the Violets is Kean University. That game will take place back at the Paulson Center on Friday, November 15, at 6:00pm. The players will receive their championship rings and the National Championship banner will be unveiled prior to tip-off.