Tartans Pressure #1 NYU before Falling 69-58

(PITTSBURGH, Pa.) - The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team hosted No. 1 New York University on Sunday, February 8 with the opportunity to make history on the line for both teams as the Violets were seeking an NCAA Division III basketball record 82nd straight victory and the Tartans were hoping to be the team to stop it. After the Tartans nearly missed upsetting the Violets last week in New York, falling 58-57, they gave NYU all it could handle again before a late fourth-quarter push led to a 69-58 record-setting win for the visitors. The Tartans are now 12-7 overall and 4-4 in the University Athletic Association (UAA) while the Violets move to 20-0 and 9-0.

How it Happened

• The Tartans led by one at the end of the first period when freshman Shelby Lewis made a layup with time expiring to close an 8-0 run for a 14-12 lead. Lewis finished with eight points in quarter.
• NYU's last basket of the first quarter was a three-pointer by senior Caroline Peper with 3:38 to play. It was Peper's fourth three-pointer of the frame.
• Peper opened the second quarter with another three-pointer but the Tartans answered with a jumper by sophomore Payton Baney. After a hoop by NYU, the Tartans had a 5-0 run to take a four-point lead, 21-17.
• A 7-0 run by the Violets put them ahead 24-21 on a jumper by Peper but the lead switched hands again when CMU's freshman Aleena Dinker and Baney hit jumpers on back-to-back possessions.
• NYU would eventually hold a 32-29 lead at the break once Brooke Batchelor broke a 29-29 tie with a triple with nine seconds to go.
• The Tartans countered NYU's eight three-pointers for the half with 20 points in the paint.
• NYU's first five shots of the third period were all behind the arc with two of them counting and the second one leading to a 38-31 lead and a CMU timeout with 7:44 to go.
• As the Tartans racked up a few fouls in the period, the Violets turned to the free throw line and made 7-of-8 attempts to build a 10-point lead that would extend to 12 at the end of the frame.
• A three-point play by Baney brought the Tartans to within six points, 55-49, with 6:19 left the play.
• Freshman Nisha Musunuri, known by the Tartans for her hustle plays and defensive stance, grabbed an offensive rebound and layup and another driving layup on a fast break to keep the Tartans close at five-point deficit with 4:18 to go.
• Zahra Alexander put the Violets up by seven with her fifth straight point a minute later.
• An offensive rebound by NYU led to a second shot opportunity and Peper, who hadn't scored for the quarter, drained a long three-pointer with the shot clock running down to put her team up 10 with 2:09 left.
• The Violets were able to close out the final minutes with six free throws while the Tartans scored five points to finish the historic game with a 69-58 victory.

Tartan Stats

• The Tartans won the rebounding battle for just the second time in UAA play this season, 45-39.
• Baney led with 15 points while Timko had 13 and Lewis scored 10.
• Baney and Timko each recorded double-doubles, grabbing 11 and 12 rebounds, respectively.
• Dinker dished out four assists to go with six points.

Violet Stats

• Peper finished with a game-high 27 points and seven made three-pointers.
• Batchelor scored 15 points and led with nine rebounds.

Thoughts from Head Coach Kathy McConnell-Miller

"I'm so proud of the growth of our young team. We compete in arguably the toughest conference in the country and we continue to improve with every challenge. Today was a great opportunity for our team to showcase their talent, character, and determination against a really good NYU team. We loved the atmosphere in Highmark today with the support of our Tartan community, notably our student-athletes, families, and friends."

Up Next

The Tartans travel to St. Louis, Missouri, to play 15th-ranked Washington University on Friday, February 13 at 7:30 p.m. CT.