On Saturday night, NYU won their second NCAA Division III national championship with a 51-41 victory over Smith. This was the first title for NYU since 1997 and they finished the season with a perfect 31-0 record. The leading scorers for NYU were Morgan Morrison with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Belle Pellecchia with 12 points to the victory.
Throughout the season, NYU had been dominant, with an average margin of victory of plus-26.7 going into the championship game. Smith, who entered the game with a 30-4 record and a 16-game win streak, struggled to keep up with NYU’s strong start. Pellecchia’s early scoring helped NYU jump out to an 8-0 lead, and despite Smith cutting the deficit to two points at times, they could not regain the lead.
Sofia Rosa led Smith with 19 points and 10 rebounds before fouling out late in the game. Jessie Ruffner added 10 points but the duo of Ruffner and Ally Yamada were not able to match their season averages in points or shooting percentage in the championship game. Despite losing three starters to graduation, Smith had reached the Final Four last season before falling to Transylvania, making them a formidable opponent for NYU in this year’s title game.
One of NYU’s biggest challenges was transfer student Morgan Morrison being named as Division III Player of the Year which added more pressure on her performance during the championship game
