A free throw from University of Rochester's Kate Agan with 6.4 seconds left was all they needed to beat the NYU women's basketball team 60-59 Sunday afternoon in Rochester.
The Violets' loss was their fourth in a row, dropping them to 13-11 overall — just 5-8 in UAA play.
Coming off of a disappointing loss to Emory last Friday in which the Violets never had a lead, NYU was ahead for most of the game on Sunday. They led by eight at halftime, then built an 11-point advantage with 15:43 to play.
"Our starting five brought a different mindset to the game," head coach Stefano Trompeo said. "We got off to a good start and we were able to build some momentum."
Down 11 in the second half, the Yellow Jackets responded with six quick points to cut their deficit to five.
Rochester continued to chip away, finally tying the score at 54-54 on a free throw from Jodie Luther. Luther led all scorers with 21 points.
A few minutes later, Rochester took its first lead of the game, and then extended its advantage to four with 2:02 left.
On the next play, Violets senior Jen Hum-Traverso hit a critical three to pull NYU within one. After a stop on defense, NYU got the ball back and Hum-Traverso eventually tied the game at 59-59 on a free throw with 1:08 remaining.
When Agan's free throw finally broke the deadlock in the closing seconds, the Violets still had time for one last play. Junior Chelsea Blake took the ball the length of the court but missed what would have been a game-winning layup. Junior Emily Foshag grabbed the offensive rebound but her put-back as time expired was also off the mark.
Senior Grace Carmen led the Violets in scoring with 15 while sophomore Erica Franke contributed a career-high 11 off the bench.
The Yellow Jackets held a 44-37 rebounding advantage, including eight offensive rebounds in the second half that contributed to their comeback.
"We missed some boxouts, which led to a second chance points," Trompeo said. "The offensive rebounds we let up were a big reason they were able to come back in this game."
NYU will have a chance to end the regular season on a positive note when it faces rival Brandeis University next Saturday afternoon in Waltham, Mass. After that, the Violets will wait to hear if they have been selected to compete in the ECAC Metro Championship, which begins March 3.
