Bianca Storts recorded her first career double-double and Diana Leondis hit a pair of big three-pointers late to help the New York University women's basketball team snap a six-game losing skid and defeat Carnegie Mellon University 68-57 on Friday, February 3, in Pittsburgh, PA.
 
Storts spurred the Violets (10-9, 2-6) with 17 points and a career-high 10 rebounds as the squad picked up a road University Athletic Association (UAA) victory against a team that had defeated it by 17 just seven days earlier. Cara Bonito added 16 points, seven boards and four assists while shooting 8-10 from the free-throw line, and Leondis sank pair of triples in the final minutes to help secure the win.

"The big difference tonight was the poise that allowed our offensive exeuction against their zone," said head coach Stefano Trompeo. "Especially in the second half, they kept their cool. The other big thing was taking advantage of the holes in the zone and getting 21 offensive rebounds."
 
In a back-and-forth game that was tight until free throws opened up the margin late, NYU trailed 41-40 with 9:17 left before taking over. Makenzie Hirz grabbed one of those offensive rebounds and went straight up with a layup to put the Violets ahead, and moments later Melissa Peng hustled after a loose ball in the back court and drew a foul. She then hit both free throws to put the margin at three.
 
The lead was down to two a minute later when Alexis Doherty found Tana Bertino for a three. The Tartans (7-12, 1-7), however, would not go away, pulling to within three on three occasions over the next few minutes. But the Violets had a response each time, including Leondis' two triples – the first of which came after a big offensive rebound by Whitney Hooper – that kept Carnegie Mellon at bay.
 
Chandler Caufield's three with 1:31 left got the Tartans within five, 62-57, but Bonito went 6-6 from the line the rest of the way to prevent any threat of a comeback.

"Bianca's and Cara's decision making were great tonight," commented Trompeo. "And for Diana to hit those threes was big. We tell everyone to step in and be ready to shoot."
 
In the first half, Carnegie Mellon led by as much as seven before Storts went off, scoring eight points in 1:08. Her three-point play with 3:16 left in the period pulled NYU to within three.
 
After a long scoreless drought for both teams, Peng hit both ends of a one-and-one with 37.6 seconds left in the period to pull the Violets to within one. Peng then made a steal on the defensive end that led to a fastbreak layup for Hooper, giving NYU its first lead of the game going into the locker room, 27-26.
 
The second half was then tight early on, with no team leading by more than four before Bertino's three helped spark the Violets' victory.
 
In addition to Storts' and Bonito's big numbers, Leondis finished with nine points, all on threes. Hooper pulled down a career-high 12 rebounds, including five on the offensive glass. Makenzie Hirz and Erica Franke each netted six points.
 
Carnegie Mellon's Emily Peel led all scorers with 19 points to go along with nine rebounds. Jacquie Shaw had 11 points and five boards, while Aspen McKeever scored nine points on three treys.
 
NYU returns action on Sunday when it travels to Cleveland, OH, to take on Case Western Reserve University in UAA action. Game time is scheduled for 2:00 pm.