Poss Scores Career-High in Neck-and-Neck Contest at #12 NYU

(NEW YORK, N.Y.) - The Carnegie Mellon University women's basketball team continued University Athletic Association (UAA) play with a 76-70 setback on Sunday, February 15 at 12th-ranked New York University. The Tartans overall record pulls even at 11-11, 2-9, as NYU moves to 20-2, 9-2.

Junior Lindsay Poss (Poolesville, Md.) converted three of her first four shots of the game to give the Tartans the early 7-0 lead.  Carnegie Mellon extended its lead to 12-2 following a three-pointer by freshman Anna Novak (San Antonia, Texas/Alamo Heights) and a layup by sophomore Lisa Murphy (McLean, Va./McLean) with 15:25 to play, but NYU scored the next 16 points and took an 18-12 lead with 11 minutes to play in the half.

Carnegie Mellon reclaimed the lead with 4:33 to play in the half, as Poss connected on back-to-back three-pointers and a jumper in the lane to give the visitor's a 28-26 edge.  The Tartans maintained their lead the rest of the frame and took a 36-34 advantage into the locker room.  

The Tartans started the second half on an 11-1 run and grabbed a 47-35 lead at the 17-minute mark.  During the stretch, Carnegie Mellon went 3-of-3 from behind the arc.  NYU was fast to answer, scoring 12 of the next 13 points to pull to within one (48-47) with 14 minutes remaining on the clock.

Four minutes later NYU took the lead, its first since 5:36 left in the first half, on a jumper by Maya Wasowicz which made the score 53-52. Back-to-back three-pointers by junior Liza Otto (Glastonbury, Conn.) and Poss gave the Tartans the lead back at 58-52, but the Violets once again responded and rattled off six straight and led 59-58 with 6:50 to play.

There would be four more lead changes before NYU's Jessie Fifield's jumper put the Violets on top for good with 3:36 left. Carnegie Mellon trailed 69-68 in the closing minute, but Riley Wurtz hit a three-point basket from the corner that sealed the victory.

The Tartans finished shooting 40.0% from the floor to NYU's 40.3%.  Poss led all scorers with a career-high 27 points and recorded a game-high 11 rebounds to tab her sixth double-double of the season.  Murphy and Novak each chipped in with 15 in the setback.  Otto tied a career-high with seven assists.

Kaitlyn Read led NYU with 25 points.  Wasowicz and Wurtz finished with 17 and 14, respectively.

The Tartans will be back on the hardwood Friday, February 20 when the University of Rochester travels to Pittsburgh for a 6:00 p.m. tip.