Tartans Fall Basket Short of Upset Bid of #1 NYU

(NEW YORK, N.Y.) - A career-high 27 points by senior Nicole Timko nearly led the Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team to an upset victory at No. 1 New York University, but the Violets were able to hold on at the end for a 58-57 final score to secure its 80th-straight win. The Tartans are now 11-6 overall and 3-3 in the University Athletic Association (UAA) while the Violets are 18-0 and 7-0.

How it Happened

• The Tartans scored the first basket of the game on a layup by sophomore Payton Baney.
• The Violets answered on the next possession and scored seven straight to take a 7-2 lead.
• The Tartans pulled to within one point two times in the quarter and trailed 17-13 at the first break.
• NYU built a 23-13 advantage three minutes into the second period but the Tartans answered with a 10-0 run over four-and-a-half minutes to tie the score and on a possession later that a 25-24 lead on a jumper in the paint by Baney.
• NYU would hold a three-point lead at the half despite 10 first-half turnovers and a field goal percentage of 36.4%.
• Timko kept the Tartans close in the third quarter with 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting and opened the fourth period with a layup to bring the Tartans within three points at 48-45.
• Baney then hit a layup, freshman Anya Rahman hit two free throws, and senior Savannah Gibbs made a layup to give the Tartans a 51-48 lead with 5:14 to play.
• Senior Caroline Peper, who was held to five points through the first three quarters, hit two three-pointers and made two free throws and had the home team leading 58-54 with a minute to go.
• Timko continued to impress and drained a three-pointer to bring the Tartans within one point and after Baney blocked a shot by the Violets with 17 seconds to go, the Tartans had a chance for the last shot.
• NYU's interior defense held strong and prevented a shot attempt after freshman Aleena Dinker drove toward the paint but her pass inside was picked up by a weak-side defender and NYU held on for the win.

Tartan Stats

• Timko's 27 points and nine rebounds led the Tartans.
• Baney finished with nine points, three steals, and two blocks.
• Gibbs recorded seven points and is now 46 points shy of 1,000 for her career.

Violet Stats

• The 58 points is a season-low for the Violets who have scored 100 or more points seven times this season.
• Junior Brooke Batchelor led the team with a career-high 28 points while Peper finished with 13.
• Junior Yasmene Clark led all players with 18 rebounds

Up Next

The Tartans will host Brandeis University on Friday, February 6 at 7:30 p.m. before entertaining NYU at home on Sunday, February 8 at 12:00 p.m.