The Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team pushed sixth-ranked New York University to the brink of an upset, but the Spartans ultimately fell short, losing 73-62 to the Violets on Sunday afternoon.

In a game that was played much closer than the final score would indicate, the Spartans held leads at the end of each of the first three quarters and were up by as many as eight points during the game. However, the Violets shot 72.7% during the fourth quarter to come from behind and thwart the upset-minded Spartans' bid for a win.

CWRU fell to 12-6 overall following the loss, including a 3-4 record in University Athletic Association games. NYU improved to 15-2 with the win and raised its conference record to 5-2.

Junior forward Kayla Characklis recorded her second double-double of the campaign, finishing the game with a season-high 20 points and adding 11 rebounds, leading all players in both categories. Junior guard Sarah Mitchell added a well-rounded effort with 13 points, five rebounds, six assists, and a pair of steals. Sophomore guard/forward Lucy Vanderbeck finished with 11 total points, connecting on three-of-five three-point attempts, while also adding five rebounds and two assists.

Characklis did most of her damage with a dominating first half, during which she scored 16 points and collected nine rebounds to lead the Spartans to a 32-28 lead by the end of the first 20 minutes. After falling behind 10-7 in the first quarter, CWRU scored six of the final eight points in the period, including a jumper by Characklis with 37 seconds left in the frame that put the team ahead 13-12 heading into the second quarter. NYU regained the lead early in the second and held a 28-25 advantage with 1:33 left in the half before the Spartans ended the period on a 7-0 run to head into the break with a four-point advantage.

CWRU scored the first two baskets of the second half to increase its run to 11-0 and take a game-high eight-point lead, 36-28, on a layup by first-year guard/forward Emily Plachta with 8:38 to play in the third. NYU rallied to tie the game at 39-39 with 6:01 left in the third, but the Spartans quickly took it back, leading by as many as six during the remainder of the third and taking a three-point lead, 54-51 into the final quarter.

The Spartans held a narrow lead until the 4:44 mark of the fourth, when NYU tied the game at 59-59 and then took a two-point lead with 3:21 left. Characklis answered with a jumper to tie the score again at 61-61, but the Violets outscored CWRU 12-1 down the stretch of the game to secure the win on their home court.

Now halfway through its conference schedule, and with seven total games remaining in its 2022-23 regular season, the Spartans will look to bounce back next weekend, when the team returns home to Cleveland to host Brandeis University on Friday night and NYU on Sunday afternoon at Horsburgh Gymnasium.