NEW YORK, NY – Junior forward Erin Hollinger (Chardon, OH/Chardon) and sophomore point guard Erica Iafelice (North Canton, OH/Hoover) scored 21 and 17 points, respectively, as the Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team defeated host New York University, 77-69, on Friday, February 11 at the Coles Sports Center.
With the win, the Spartans snap a five-game losing skid and improve to 11-10 overall and 5-5 in the University Athletic Association. The loss gave NYU the identical mark for the season.
Hollinger and Iafelice led four Spartans in double-figures. Senior forward Caitlin Henry (Fairfax, VA/Robinson) scored 15 points, while sophomore guard Evy Iacono (Cincinnati, OH/Mount Notre Dame) totaled 10 points, a career-high nine assists and six rebounds.
NYU's Maggie Ely was the top scorer in the contest with 25 points.
The first half was back-and-forth with five ties and five lead changes. NYU led 6-5 early when Bianca Storts hit a three-pointer at 16:23. The Spartans answered with an 8-2 run and held a 13-8 advantage following an Iacono jumper with 13:20 left in the period. The Violets came right back to take a 20-17 lead when Chelsea Blake capped a 12-4 run with a three-point play at the 8:00 mark.
Case followed suit with a 14-6 stretch and led 31-26 when Henry drove to the bucket for two with 40 seconds remaining before half. NYU was able to finish on a 7-2 run, but Case still led 33-31 thanks to a jumper from sophomore forward Marissa Miles (McDonald, PA/Fort Cherry) with 11 ticks left on the clock.
In the second half, the Spartans built their lead to a game-high eight points, at 50-42, when sophomore center Emily Mueller (Pittsburgh, PA/Upper St. Clair) scored two on a layup at 13:14. NYU then chipped away over the next seven minutes with a 21-12 run and eventually grabbed the lead, at 63-62, when Ely drained a jumper with 6:23 left to play.
Both defenses tightened, but the Spartans were able to outscore NYU 10-4 over a span of 5:15 and led 72-67 when Hollinger hit a layup with 1:08 remaining. Henry then hit 5-of-6 free throws down the stretch to secure the 77-69 win.
The Spartans wrap up the road portion of their schedule on Sunday at Brandeis University (MA) at 2:00 p.m.
The team is back home next Friday, February 18 versus Emory University (GA) at 6:00 p.m. The game is designated as a Pink Zone event with all proceeds going to benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund. In addition, Case Western Reserve will hold its annual Provost Pizza night, with free pizza for all fans in attendance.