Riverdale, N.Y. - The College of Mount Saint Vincent's women's basketball program opened their season on Saturday afternoon against New York University. The Dolphins struggled throughout the entirety of the contest and dropped the first game of 2018 by the score of 78-40.
Despite keeping it close in the early minutes of game one, CMSV exited the first quarter down eight points. The Violets of NYU never looked back, as the team took a commanding 37-19 lead into the locker rooms at halftime. Throughout the first 20 minutes of play, the Dolphins saw contributions from their entire starting lineup. Freshman guard
Aaliyah Lyn impressed in her first half of collegiate basketball, as she paced her team with nine points while
Kelly Oliver and
Leah Pinili - two starters from a season ago - combined for seven points. Forwards
Aria Rheams and
Dez Brown pulled down five total rebounds.
Unfortunately for CMSV, the second half was similar to the first. While Rheams scored an additional nine points and
Gabriela Goldman chipped in four more off the bench, the team as a whole struggled, as they shot just 31% from the floor, including converting just one of four three point attempts. The Violets, meanwhile, were deadly from all over the court. The entire team was hot from behind the arc, as they converted 11 of their 24 attempts, including six alone from Lauren Koyama. She was joined by Bianca Notarainni (16), Janean Cuffee (10) and Katie Foos (10) as NYU players to reach double figures on the afternoon.
Despite fouling out, Lyn paced her teammates in points scored with 12. Rheams was her lone teammate to join her in double-digit points, as she added 10 of her own. Rheams and Brown were tied for the team lead in rebounds with four, with Oliver and her senior counterpart
Yamilersy Reyes grabbing three steals apiece. Goldman dished out the most assists with five.
While the loss may sting for now, the Dolphins will look to rebound against John Jay, another non-conference opponent, on November 20. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 PM at The Doghouse.