New York University’s men’s and women’s basketball teams went into Saturday with the opportunity to become the first school to win Division III titles in each sport.
The Violets almost achieved the feat.
The NYU women capped off another perfect season and earned back-to-back national championships by handily defeating Smith College 77-49 in Salem, Va.
But the men fell seconds short of winning their first-ever D-III title when Trinity College rallied to win 64-60 in Fort Wayne, Ind.
Belle Pellecchia led the Violets (31-0) with 18 points and four other players reached double figures as the women won their 62nd consecutive game.
“It was part of our game-plan to be aggressive at the start,” Pellecchia said after the win. “Defense is the name of the game, and if we can get going on defense then we can get going on offense.”
Unfortunately, the NYU men’s (29-2) quest to earn their first Division-III title in their first championship appearance since 1994 fell agonizingly short.
Hampton Sanders (15 points) finished off a three-point play with 1:28 remaining for a 60-56 NYU lead, but they could not hold on.
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Trinity ended the game on an 8-0 run and took the lead on Henry Vetter’s three-pointer with 12.8 left, which made it 62-60.
Sanders’ three-point attempt hit the top of the backboard on the ensuing possession and Trinity sealed the game with two free throws to earn its first D-III title.
As for the NYU women, it is only the third NCAA Division III women’s team to post consecutive undefeated seasons and the fourth to win consecutive titles.
The Violets’ 62-game winning streak is the eighth-longest in NCAA women’s basketball history at any level.
“The winning streak wasn’t important to me. Winning the Championship is what the goal was,” head coach Meg Barber said. “The way this team went to work everyday. They take the game seriously and they take pride in how they represent the NYU uniform everyday.”
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