The Case Western Reserve University women's basketball team kept with top-ranked New York University for three quarters on Friday night at the Paulson Center in Manhattan, New York, but the Spartans' upset bid ultimately fell short as the Violets pulled away in the fourth to win 82-67.

The Spartans fell to 8-13 overall and 1-9 in University Athletic Association contests. The Violets remained undefeated in the 2023-24 season, improving to 21-0 overall and 10-0 in conference contests.

Senior forward Kayla Characklis led the team in scoring with 18 points, making nine of her 16 shots in the field, adding four rebounds, an assist, and a steal. Senior guard Sarah Mitchell scored 12 points and added a team-high four rebounds and two assists. First-year guard Mya Hartjes dished out a team-high five assists and added seven points and three rebounds, with graduate student forward Kate Montgomery adding four assists and five points. Sophomore guard Emily Plachta also reached double figures, scoring 11 points with three rebounds and two assists.

Overall, the Spartans made 66.7% (10-of-15) of their three-point attempts, the second-highest single game team three-point percentage since at least the 2001-02 season. In the first half, Case Western Reserve made 60.7% (17-of-28) of its shots from the floor, including 72.7% (8-of-11) of the team's attempts from long range.

After a back-and-forth start to the game, CWRU used a 5-0 run to take a five-point lead midway through the first quarter on a three-pointer by Plachta. The Violets tied the score at 15, but Plachta responded quickly from distance. A layup from senior forward Preet Gill rebuilt the team's lead to five, the largest of the quarter.

NYU scored the next six points to take a 21-20 lead 30 seconds into the second frame. Hartjes scored her first five points of the contest on back-to-back possessions to reclaim the lead. Midway through the quarter, the Violets tied the score at 32 and 34. However, Characklis put the visitors ahead with a layup each time. With under two minutes to play in the half, junior guard Lucy Vanderbeck scored her first points of the night to give her team a three-point lead, and a three-pointer from Mitchell following an NYU turnover increased the team's advantage to six, its largest of the contest. The Violets made a pair of shots from beyond the arc in the final 39 seconds of the half to tie the score at 42 heading into the break.

Characklis scored the first six points of the third quarter for the Spartans, leading the team to a 48-44 lead. A three-pointer from Plachta gave the team a five-point advantage. However, NYU responded with a 7-0 run late in the quarter to give the hosts their first lead since early in the second period. Senior guard Margaret Terry made two free throws to tie the score at 55, but a layup on the final shot of the quarter put the Violets ahead 57-55.

A free throw from Terry cut the deficit to one, but a 10-0 NYU run put the hosts ahead 67-56 just two and a half minutes into the final frame. Mitchell ended the run with a jumper, but five consecutive points gave the hosts a 14-point advantage with five minutes remaining. CWRU would get as close as 11, ultimately falling by 15.

The Spartans will play their last game away from Cleveland on Sunday, traveling to Waltham, Massachusetts, to face Brandeis at 2 p.m.