NEW YORK – New York University had a key scoring surge in the second quarter, made a defensive stand in the fourth, and found just enough free throw shooting accuracy to squeeze out a 64-61 victory over the University of Rochester in women's basketball on Friday night.
 
The Violets earned their first University Athletic Association win of the season. NYU is 11-8 overall, 1-7 in the UAA. Rochester is 14-5 overall, 5-3 in the UAA. The Yellowjackets defeated NYU, 68-49, at the Louis Alexander Palestra one week ago.

With NYU's Coles Sports Center undergoing massive rennovations, the game was played at the Sportsplex at Hunter College, approximately 70 blocks north of NYU's downtown campus (Hunter at E. 68 St. and Lexington Aveue, NYU below W. 4th Street).
 
Rochester was saddled with foul trouble throughout. Al Leslie played only seven first half minutes after being tagged with three fouls. She picked up two in less than a minute in the first quarter, then got number three 45 seconds into period two. She came back strong in the last two quarters and finished with 15 points, nine rebounds, and two blocks in 24 minutes total.
 
Lizzy Atkinson led Rochester with a career high 17 points, including four three point goals. She grabbed seven rebounds. Lauren Deming had eight points and 13 boards. Jillian Silvestri scored seven points, had three assists and two blocks in 13 minutes. Silvestri hit a clutch three-pointer down the stretch that put Rochester ahead by a point.
 
NYU's scoring leader was Shaye McGoey with 14 points. She added six assists. Lindsey Oldshue had 11 points and six rebounds. Amy Harioka scored 10 points, five of six from the foul line – three in the last 24 seconds as NYU held on. Simone Jacques scored nine points and had a pair of three-point goals when NYU tried to nail down the win early in the third quarter. Kayla Patterson scored seven points, but had 12 rebounds – nine off the defensive glass – and that proved to have as much to do with the NYU win as any of the scoring totals did.
 
In the first quarter, NYU used an 8-2 run to get within 12-10. Atkinson hit her second trey of the period and the Yellowjackets got two baskets in the closing moments to take a 19-12 lead after one: a follow by Mary Kronenwetter and a jumper at the foul line by Lena Ethington. 
 
Atkinson banked in her third trey of the game to snap a 21-all tie and put Rochester ahead, 24-21. NYU used an 11-5 run to close the quarter: McGoey, Jacques, Oldshue, and Mikaela Pyatt all made baskets. The Violets made four of eight from the foul line and it was 32-29 at the half.
 
Jacques scored seven of NYU's first nine points of the third quarter and the Violets flirted with the possibility of putting the game away early (41-33 with 6:24 left). Ethington scored  in the lane, Silvestri drove for a layup, Atkinson hit another three-pointer, and Ethington made one of two from the line. It got Rochester within 43-41 with less than a minute left and the Violets helped by shooting 0-4 at the foul line in that time. McGoey drove for a layup just before the third quarter buzzer, though, to put NYU ahead, 45-41.
 
Leslie had five points and Deming scored two in the first three minutes of the last quarter to parry five points from Oldshue (a three from the left corner, then a layup). Silvestri connected on a three-pointer from right wing to put Rochester ahead, 51-50, with 6:30 left.
 
McGoey scored for NYU and Leslie's layup put Rochester back in front, 53-52, with less than 5:40 to go. Rochester went cold on five straight trips down the floor and NYU grabbed the rebound each time. Not having the extra chances was crucial. McGoey restored NYU's one-point advantage and Lauren Brown made two of four from the line. It was 56-53. Silvestri's layup made it a one-point game with 1:52 left.
 
Harioka made the critical shot for the hosts. The ball was reversed to her in the left corner and she sank a three-pointer for4 a 59-55 lead with 1:18 left.
 
Rochester played the score-and-foul game, pulling within 61-59 on two Deming free throws with 16.7 seconds left. Harioka made two free throws, but Leslie kept Rochester within two, 63-61, with a jumper in the lane with eight seconds left. Oldshue was fouled quickly. She missed the first, made the second (64-61 at 0:06). Rochester pushed the ball up the floor, looking for the potential equalizer, but Atkinson's three-point shot from the right wing was just a little too strong.