Led by Riley Wurtz's double-double, the New York University women's basketball team defeated St. Joseph's College-Brooklyn 68-53 in its 2012-13 season opener on Friday, November 16, at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.
 
The victory gave new Head Coach Lauren Hall-Gregory a win in both her head coaching debut and her first game on the Violets' (1-0) sideline. With the win, NYU advances to the Tip-Off Tournament Championship to face the winner of Hartwick College/SUNY New Paltz at 8:00 pm on Saturday.

Highlights
 
- Four Violets scored in double figures, led by Wurtz, who had 15 points, 13 rebounds and five assists in 38 minutes. Seven of her boards came on the offensive glass.
 
- Another freshman, Megan Dawe, also netted 15 points for NYU to go along with nine rebounds and three steals.
 
- Cassidy Jourdan, another of the six Violets making her collegiate debut, had 14 points and seven steals.
 
- NYU's fourth double-digit scorer was the team's lone returner, Melissa Peng, who totaled 10 points. Her three-pointer with 12:48 left in the first half gave the Violets the lead for good.
 
- The Bears (0-1) got as close as eight with 3:18 to play, but Dawe scored five straight points to ensure a double-digit victory for NYU.
 
"It was exciting and a great atmosphere," said Hall-Gregory. "The energy was contagious for the players. We grinded it out and found a way to win. This was a great experience for our young players."
 
The Tip-Off Tournament Championship will be preceded by the Third-Place Game at 6:00 pm at Coles.