CMS Women's Basketball Falls to NYU, Splits at Tip-Off Classic

NEW YORK, N.Y. - The NYU women's basketball team used a 16-1 run to break open a close game in the second quarter and kept Claremont-Mudd-Scripps at arm's length the rest of the way as the Violets captured a 68-54 win over the Athenas on the second day of the NYU Tip-Off Classic on Sunday afternoon.

With the loss, CMS falls to 2-2 on the season, splitting at the Tip-Off Classic after defeating Bridegwater State yesterday 52-46. Austyn Masuno had 17 points and 12 rebounds for her fourth straight double-double in the first four games of 2021-22, while Flora Durgerian added 12 for the Athenas. Durgerian and Masuno were both named to the All-Tournament Team for the Athenas. 

CMS trailed 17-15 after the first quarter, but Jocelyn Song made a jump shot and Jacey Carter knocked down a three off a Kayla Ishibashi pass to put the Athenas ahead 20-17. NYU tied it 20-20, and Durgerian put CMS in front 22-20 for the final time.

After Masuno knotted the score 24-24 off another Ishibashi assist, NYU went on a 10-0 run and then stretched the lead to 40-25, before Masuno capped off the half with a layup as the Violets took a 40-27 lead into the break. 

NYU scored the first four points of the second half, before Carter knocked down a three-pointer to try to get the Athenas going. The Violets led by as many as 23, though, in the third quarter, before Grace Florendo brought CMS back within 56-39 with a jumper at the buzzer. 

The Athenas did start the game off on a high note, taking a 6-0 lead after Durgerian hit two three-pointers in the first two minutes. Carter added a three-pointer to make it 9-5, but the Violets were able to take their first lead at 13-11 with 3:10 left in the first quarter. 

CMS will be back in action when it returns home for the David Wells Classic on Friday and Saturday, meeting Willamette and Whitworth, respectively, with both tip times scheduled for 3:30 p.m.