From NYU Athletics
Spurred by Kaitlyn Read's 20 second-half points
(25 overall), the New York University women's basketball team
defeated Carnegie Mellon University 76-70 on Sunday afternoon,
February 15, at the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.
The Violets (20-2, 9-2 University Athletic Association) started off
the contest slowly, falling behind 7-0 to the Tartans (11-11, 2-9
UAA) with 17:18 left in the first. NYU Head Coach Lauren
Hall-Gregory called a timeout to sub out her starting
lineup for the Violets' second unit in order to jump-start the
squad.
"Carnegie is a much better team than their record indicates," said
Hall-Gregory. "They have a very strong starting five and they were
hitting shots. We just needed to play with a little more fire, a
little more of an edge. Everything was just a little too easy for
them on offense."
Carnegie Mellon took a 12-2 lead with 15:25 remaining, but the
Violets, led by Maya Wasowicz, jumped out on a 16-0
run to take a six-point lead. Wasowicz scored eight of her
career-high 17 points during that run for NYU.
"Maya has a lot of confidence; a lot of toughness," continued
Hall-Gregory. "She brings that every day to practice. She's a
willing scorer and also provides a lot of leadership."
The squads went back and forth for the rest of the half and the
Tartans took a 36-34 lead into the break.
NYU found itself trailing Carnegie Mellon by 12 once again, 47-35,
with 17:26 remaining. That's when Read decided to take the game
into her hands. The sophomore guard proceeded to pour in 20 points
on 5-of-12 shooting and a perfect 8-of-8 from the foul line in the
half to finish with a team-best 25 points.
"Kaitlyn has the ability to impact the game," Hall-Gregory said.
"She is willing to take big shots, to make that extra reach for a
rebound. I'm really proud of her. She struggled early in the game,
but was able to turn the tide for herself and her team."
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Read added five rebounds, three assists and a game-high four
steals to her day. She was also 10-of-10 from the charity
stripe.
- Wasowicz was a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc in her 18
minutes on the floor.
- Riley Wurtz finished with 14 points and a
team-high-tying eight rebounds. The junior guard also had three
assists, two steals, and made a huge three-pointer with 33 seconds
left that gave NYU a 72-68 advantage. .
- Emily Rowe also had eight rebounds for
NYU.
- Melissa Peng played a team-high 31 minutes
and dished out a squad-best six helpers. The senior point guard
also chipped in four points, one rebounds, one block, and a
steal.
"What I like about our players is they're fighters; they're
resilient," concluded Hall-Gregory. "They don't let one play define
them. They're able to battle back."