CLEVELAND – Senior point guard Erica Iafelice (North Canton, Ohio/Hoover) tied a career-high with 17 points and added eight assists as the Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team defeated University Athletic Association rival New York University, 89-74, on Play4Kay night at Horsburgh Gymnasium.
The Spartans (14-7 overall, 6-4 UAA) return to action this action this Sunday, February 10 versus Brandeis University (Mass.) at 2:00 p.m. With the loss, the Violets drop to 8-13 overall and 1-9 UAA.
As part of Play4Kay night, the Spartans wore pink uniforms, and all proceeds from the event will go to benefit the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.
Iafelice shot a career-best 4-of-6 from three-point range, and she increased her career assist total to 357, moving within one of tying Ashleigh Tondo for second most in school history. Iafelice then sets her sights on the school record of 364 set by Jeanne Scott.
Three others scored in double-figures as the Spartans scored their highest non-overtime total of the season. Senior guard Evy Iacono (Cincinnati, Ohio/Mount Notre Dame) finished with a team-high 23 points to go along with four rebounds, five assists and four steals. Senior forward Marissa Miles (McDonald, Pa./Fort Cherry) scored a career-high 16, and sophomore guard Brooke Orcutt (Morrison, Colo. / Dakota Ridge) tallied 12 off the bench.
In the first half, the Spartans built a seven-point lead, at 11-4, when Iacono hit one-of-two free throws with 14:44 left on the clock. NYU came back with four straight to cut the deficit to 11-8 before Miles connected on two free throws and pushed the lead to five at the 13:49 mark.
NYU again scored four straight and cut its deficit to one on two occasions, but the Spartans responded the second time with a 10-2 run that culminated in a three-pointer from Iafelice, making the score 25-16 with 8:53 remaining. The lead later ballooned to a first-half high of 20, at 40-20, when junior forward Julie Mooney (Dublin, Ohio/Dublin Jerome) followed her own missed free throw with a saved pass to sophomore forward Berit Eppard (Englewood, Colo./Cherry Creek) for an easy layup. However, the Violets were able to pull within 16 by half at 43-27.
In the second, the Spartans led 48-33 before blowing the game open with a 14-6 run that built a game-high 23-point advantage as Iacono hit a jumper to make the score 62-39 with 14:24 remaining. However, NYU refused to go away and used a 23-12 run over the next 10 minutes to pull within 12, 74-62, following a Nicole Lem triple with 5:24 left to play. The Violets would later get as close as 11, 81-70, following a Riley Wurtz free throw at 2:38, but the Spartans were to stabilize down the stretch for the 15-point win.
For the game, NYU was led by Lem with a game-high 25 points, while Melissa Peng dished out a game-best 10 assists.
Following Sunday's game against Brandeis, the Spartans head out for a two-game road trip in Atlanta and Rochester next Friday and Sunday, February 15-17.