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#8/9 Women's Basketball Can't Hold Off #24 Washington, 66-60

01/25/08

Despite getting another double-double from junior forward Jessica McEntee, the New York University women's basketball team saw its 27-game home winning streak snapped with a 66-60 loss to University Athletic Association (UAA) rival Washington University on Friday night before 1,712 at the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.

The game was a rematch of the 2007 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship Final Four match-up from last March, which was won by Washington.

McEntee finished with 19 points and 12 rebounds for the Violets (13-2, 2-2 UAA), but the #8 team in the D3hoops.com poll and #9 squad in the USA Today ESPN Division III rankings could not hold a 17-point, first-half lead.

In addition NYU, which entered the game ranked 10th in Division III with a 75.7% success rate at the charity stripe, went just 10-for-20 (50.0%) at the line.

Jill Brandt led Washington (12-3, 4-0 UAA), which won its seventh straight game, by scoring 13 of her 19 points in the second half. Ranked #24 in the USA Today ESPN poll, the Bears remained atop the UAA standings.

In a game featuring several solid runs by both sides, Washington finally took the lead for good with an 8-0 surge late in the contest. Freshman Chelsea Blake (11 points) hit a lay-up to put the Violets up 52-50 with 6:19 remaining, before the Bears took control. A lay-up by Shanna-Lei Dacanay with 4:43 to go gave the Bears a 54-52 lead, while free throws from Brandt gave the UAA front-runners a 58-52 cushion with 3:31 left.

NYU opened the contest by scoring the first five points, but Washington weathered the opening storm and pulled within 21-14 before the Violets pulled away with an 11-1 outburst. McEntee tallied five of her points during the run, including an old-fashioned three-point play, to make it 32-15 just 3:49 before the break.

However, Washington ended the half on an 8-0 spurt and trailed just 32-23 at the break. Four different players scored two points for the Bears, who got six points apiece from Kathryn Berger and Brandt before the break. McEntee led all players with 12 points, eight boards and three assists in the first 20 minutes.

Halsey Ward netted 10 points for Washington, which shot 38.5% (25-for-65) from the field and 68.4% (13-for-19) at the charity stripe.

Sophomore guard Jen Hum-Traverso contributed eight points, six boards and four assists in the loss for NYU, which shot just 32.8% (22-for-67) from the floor. Junior center Megan Fox snared 11 rebounds for the Violets.

NYU returns to action Sunday, Jan. 27, when it hosts UAA rival the University of Chicago at 2 p.m. The Violets lead the all-time series against the Maroons 31-9, including a season sweep in 2007.