Box Score
Game Highlights from WGME-TV
Photo Gallery
Post-Game Interview

MEDFORD, Mass. -- Junior Kelly Coleman matched her career high with 32 points to lead the University of New England to an 80-77 win over New York University in the first round of the 2014 NCAA Division III Women's Basketball Championship played on the campus of Tufts University on Friday evening (March 7).

The Nor'easters (27-2) advance to face Tufts, a 66-43 winner over Saint Joseph's College of Maine. UNE and Tufts will tip-off tomorrow at 5 p.m. The Violets end their season with a record of 20-6.

Coleman was 11-for-19 from the floor and 8-for-9 at the free throw line to match her career best set at Gordon College earlier in the year. She also added seven rebounds while playing all 40 minutes.

UNE first-year center Alicia Brown also tied her career high, finishing with 18 points on an 8 of 11 effort from the field. Brown added three blocked shots to extend her program single-season mark to 62. Sophomore guards Meghan Gribbin and Alanna Vose combined for 21 points, with Vose tallying all 10 of hers after halftime. Gribbin nailed 3 of 3 three-point attempts and dished out seven assists.

Sophomore guard Lauren Hayden had seven points, six boards and four steals before fouling out. Her four thefts gives her 125 for the season, establishing a single-season record. The previous mark of 124 was held by Tammy Paradie of Westbrook College (1994-95).

First-year forward Kaitlyn Read poured in a team-high 25 points to pace the Violets. She was 7 of 12 from the floor (3 of 5 from beyond the arc) and 8 of 10 at the line. Read added five rebounds and four steals.

NYU sophomore guard Megan Dawe contributed 15 points and three steals before fouling out, and classmate Riley Wurtz added 14 points and three assists.

The first half was an up-and-down affair, with the Nor'easters taking a 36-32 edge into intermission. After NYU established an early 9-5 lead, Big Blue responded with 16-5 run to go up 21-14. Brown had five points during the spurt, which was capped by a Hayden layup at the 9:27 mark.

The Violets would chip away to tie the score at 32 on a Dawe bucket with just over two minutes left, but Coleman and Gribbin each made a pair at the line to close the frame.

Neither squad was able to gain any momentum during the initial 10 minutes of the second half, which was no surprise to UNE head coach Anthony Ewing.

"If you're going to move on in this tournament, you've got to fight every possession," he said afterwards. "You saw two teams that really didn't want their season to end, and so it was a highly-spirited, competitive, hard-fought game right to the finish."

With the scoreboard showing 54 for each team, the Nor'easters reeled off eight consecutive points to take the lead for good. After a Coleman conversion in the paint, Gribbin and Vose drilled consecutive treys to give Big Blue a 62-54 cushion with 7:46 left.

NYU continued to battle, closing to within four (70-66) on a pair of Read free throws at the 3:14 mark.

Coleman then collected a Gribbin feed to convert a three-point play on the next possession. Senior Alexis Doherty's layup cut NYU's deficit to five (73-68), but the Gribbin-to-Coleman connection worked again when Gribbin dropped off a beautiful behind-the-back pass to Coleman on the break. Coleman finished with a lay-in and was fouled. She completed the three-point play to give Big Blue a 76-68 lead with 1:26 left.

Read kept the Violets hanging around, however, knocking down a three-pointer -- and after a pair of missed UNE free throws -- converting two attempts at the stripe to get NYU to within three (76-73) with 33 seconds remaining.

Vose and Coleman combined to go 4-for-4 at the line in the closing stages, before junior Melissa Peng scored just before the buzzer to make the final score 80-77.

The Nor'easters overcame a total of 23 turnovers by shooting a torrid 53.7 percent (29 of 54) on their field goal tries. UNE made half (8 of 16) of its attempts from beyond the arc and was 14 of 19 (73.7 percent) at the free throw line.

NYU was efficient on the offensive end, as well, converting 47.5 percent (29 of 61) of its shots from the field. The Violets also hauled in 13 offensive boards, which led to 19 second-chance points.

"We were fortunate enough to put up 80, shooting the ball well to cover up some defensive difficiencies and the turnovers," Ewing added. "You have to give NYU credit; they are a very talented offensive team that it constantly pushing the ball, and between their offense and our defense, our defense gave a bit."

"But I'm real proud of how we performed down the stretch. One thing I knew was when push came to shove and we had to make some plays, we've got players who step up and make those plays. That's what they've done all year; they have expectations for themselves and this program to not just make the NCAA tournament, but to do well in it."

UNE will take a 15-game winning streak into tomorrow's contest. That game will mark Big Blue's second trip to the second round of the NCAA Championship in as many years.


Click HERE to view the Photo Gallery

Click HERE to watch the post-game interview with Kelly Coleman and Alicia Brown