Union, N.J. (11/6/21) –The New York University women's basketball team picked up a win by defeating Kean University by the final of 89-58 in the season opener for both.

NYU (1-0) played in their first countable contest since March 7, 2020 when they last lost to Bowdoin in the NCAA Tournament.  The Violets did not compete last winter out of an abundance of caution while returning to sports during the pandemic.

NYU led a balanced scoring attack as four of their five starters finished in double-digits while Erica Miller just missed joining the group with nine points. Belle Pellecchia had a team-high 16 points while Natalie Bruns finished with a double-double 15 points and 12 rebounds.

Shannon McCoy and Kayla Anderson led Kean (0-1) as each recorded four rebounds and 13 and 12 points respectively.

The Violets led wire-to-wire and pushed their lead out to as many as 15 in the first quarter (22-7) on a jumper from Pellecchia.  The Cougars battled throughout but were not able to bring the deficit back down to single digits from that point forward. 

The Cougars don't have much downtime as they head to the road to take on Marymount University (Va.) on Monday in non-conference action.