Postgame Press Conference

NEW YORK, N.Y. – The University of Scranton women's basketball team (28-3) battled for all 40 minutes, but fell to the unbeaten NYU Violets (29-0) by a score of 68-46 in NCAA Elite Eight action on Saturday night at the Paulson Center in New York City.

This marked the Lady Royals' 16^th all-time Elite Eight appearance in program history and the first since 2019.

Senior Maddie Hartnett (Chatham, N.J./Chatham) hit a three in the first minute of the game to give Scranton an early 3-2 edge, but NYU was able to respond with a layup from Belle Pellecchia on the other end to regain the lead. Later in the quarter, fellow senior Maddy Ryan (Malvern, Pa./Villa Maria Academy) sank a jumper to bring the Lady Royals within three at 10-7 before the Violets closed the quarter with a 5-2 spurt and held a 15-9 advantage at the end of one. NYU opened the second quarter on a 12-2 run to extend the lead to 27-11 before consecutive baskets from Ryan and sophomore Kaci Kranson (Scranton, Pa./Holy Cross) made it a 27-15 game for the time being. After NYU extended the lead, Hartnett and sophomore Jenna Sloan (Central Square, N.Y./Bishop Grimes) each sank two free throws in the final minute of the half to bring Scranton within 38-24 at the break.

The two teams traded baskets for a majority of the third quarter and the Violets held a 53-34 edge headed to the fourth. After NYU opened the scoring in the fourth quarter, sophomore Kaeli Romanowski (Lake Ariel, Pa./Western Wayne) hit a layup of her own which sparked a 7-2 run for Scranton and Romanowski capped things off with another layup that cut the deficit to 16 at 57-41 with 7:10 to play. However, NYU was able to answer with a three to get the lead back to 19. Graduate student Hannah Angelini (Baldwin Place, N.Y./Somers) scored eight points for the Lady Royals in the fourth including a pair of threes.

Angelini and Kranson had 10 points apiece to pace the Lady Royals offensively, while Ryan had seven points and Romanowski tallied six points, six rebounds and five assists.

Pellecchia led five NYU players in double figures with 15 points and Megan Bauman had 11 points and 10 assists.

Scranton shot 25.0% (16-of-64) from the floor, 50.0% (3-of-6) from beyond the arc and 64.7% (11-of-17) from the free throw line in the contest. NYU was 24-of-52 (46.2%) from the field and 6-of-18 (33.3%) from deep.

Kranson led head coach Ben O'Brien's team with nine rebounds including five offensive boards.

The Lady Royals' 2023-24 roster featured a total of nine seniors and graduate students in Angelini, Hartnett, Ryan, seniors Jenna Larrabee (Syracuse, N.Y./Westhill), Allie Lynch (Villanova, Pa./Academy of Notre Dame de Namur), Leah Nolan (Holmdel, N.J./Holmdel) and Mackenzie Steele (Susquehanna, Pa./Susquehanna) along with graduate students Kyra Quigley (Drexel Hill, Pa./Sacred Heart Academy Bryn Mawr) and Victoria Toomey (Dunmore, Pa./Dunmore).