NEW YORK, New York - The University of Maine at Farmington women's basketball team saw their historic season come to a close on Friday evening, dropping their NCAA Tournament First Round matchup with the number one team in the country, New York University, 108-44.
How it Happened:
NYU jumped out quickly and never looked back, scoring the first nine points of the game as the Beavers took a few minutes to find their footing. Caroline Peper got the scoring started, hitting her first of five three-pointers just a minute and 17 seconds into the game.
Sophomore guard Jaydn Pingree (Jay, Maine) scored the first bucket of the game for the Beavers, making a beautiful behind-the-back move to get past her defender and all the way to the rim for a layup.
Farmington hung tough through the middle minutes of the first quarter, getting a pair of buckets from senior Ruby McMinis (Wells, Maine) from the low post and then a second layup from Pingree that helped make it an 18-10 game after seven minutes of play.
Six quick points from Brooke Batchelor pushed the Violets out to a 14-point lead before junior forward Jessica Dow (Saco, Maine) got to the rim off a pretty pass from Grace Dwyer (Manchester, Maine), putting a halt to the Violets' run.
Junior guard Melissa Mayo (Bridgton, Maine) hit a three during the opening minutes of the second quarter that made it 27-15 as the Beavers continued to hang around.
A pair of threes from Peper and one from Batchelor highlighted a quick 11-0 run for the Violets as they jumped out to a 23-point advantage.
The Violets used their length, athleticism, and a tenacious full-court trapping defense to wreak havoc on the Beavers and prevent any sort of comeback. Olivia Lagao hit a three as time expired in the second quarter, making it 53-25 heading into halftime.
NYU continued to push the pace in the third quarter, opening the second half of play on a 15-4 run as the lead swelled to 39. Peper's hot shooting continued as she drained yet another three, and Aila Kaibara hit one of her own during the run for the Violets.
Dow hit a layup off a feed from Pingree and then canned a three from the right corner to put an end to NYU's run. But the Violets had another answer, ending the quarter on a 12-0 run to make it 80-34 heading into the fourth quarter.
Pingree started to feel it in the fourth quarter for Farmington, scoring ten points in the final ten minutes, but it was too late as the Violets continued to pull away and clinch their improbable 88th consecutive victory.
Stats of the Game:
Farmington:
Field Goal Pct: 41.3% (19-for-46)
Three-Point Pct: 22.2% (2-for-9)
Free Throw Pct: 57.1% (4-for-7)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 25 (4-21)
Turnovers: 27
NYU:
Field Goal Pct: 51.9% (41-for-79)
Three-Point Pct: 42.4% (14-for-33)
Free Throw Pct: 80.0% (7-for-12)
Rebounds (Total, Off-Def): 43 (19-24)
Turnovers: 5
Leaders - Farmington:
- Pingree finished with a game-high 18 points, shooting 9-of-18 from the floor while also adding five assists and three rebounds.
- Dow finished with nine points and five rebounds while shooting 4-of-8 from the field.
- Mayo pitched in with seven points in 20 minutes.
Leaders - NYU:
- Batchelor finished with a team-high 17 points, shooting an efficient 5-of-8 from the floor to go along with five assists, three rebounds, and two steals.
- Yasmene Clark finished with a 16-point, 11-rebound double-double, shooting 7-for-11 from the field.
- Peper hit 5-of-11 from beyond the arc, finishing with 15 points to go along with five assists and three rebounds.
- Lagao finished with ten points and a game-high seven steals in just 15 minutes off the bench.
