Despite a valiant effort, UR’s women’s basketball team failed to contain a surging NYU squad last Friday in the Palestra.
From the onset, #1 NYU (19-0, 8-0 UAA) held the initiative. UR (9-10, 4-4 UAA) set up their defense instead of contesting the opening jump ball.
NYU graduate student forward Morgan Morrison (#30) scored the game’s first points out of the post, portending future challenges for UR, who struggled to defend the rim against NYU’s athletic forwards. Graduate student forward Callie McCulley (#42) put the Yellowjackets on the board with a driving layup.
The Violets continued to apply pressure with precise ball movement and suffocating defense. Despite UR’s best efforts, NYU dominated the paint on both sides of the ball, out-rebounding the Yellowjackets 52-37 overall. At the half, NYU led UR 51-16.
The score notwithstanding, the Yellowjackets played a spirited second half against the historic NYU team that UR head coach Jim Scheible called “possibly the best Division III team I’ve ever seen.” UR junior forward Raquel Williams (#14) came off the bench and scored six quick points with 5 minutes to go in the third quarter, on the heels of two NYU triples.
First-year guard Rylee Drahos (#5) hustled to secure a loose ball in the waning seconds of the game, passing to fellow first-year guard Peyton Jones, who scored UR’s final point at the foul line. Moments later, the buzzer sounded. The scoreboard read 95-53 in NYU’s favor.
Another win for a buzzsaw Violets squad, another loss for a Yellowjackets team finding its footing. After the game, Coach Scheible put it succinctly: “NYU couldn’t play much better than that.”
After a contest against Brandeis on Feb. 4, the Yellowjackets will look to bounce back against the University of Chicago on Friday, Feb. 9 at 5:30 p.m. in the Palestra.
