NYU now holds the top spot in the Division III women’s basketball record book with 82 consecutive wins.
The Violets (20-0) triumphed over Carnegie Mellon 69-58 on Sunday, surpassing the previous record held by rival Washington University of St. Louis, which secured 81 victories in a row from 1998-2001.
“I’m thrilled we surpassed Wash U for this record,” NYU coach Meg Barber stated in a phone interview after the game. “As a competitive person, I have immense respect for this league, and achieving any kind of streak is remarkable.”
Barber is familiar with the record her team has now claimed, having played for NYU when their rivals were amassing victories.
“It feels like a sigh of relief,” Barber noted regarding the record-setting achievement. “Hopefully, this minimizes the external noise and allows us to refocus on our primary goal [of winning another national championship].”
UConn holds the overall NCAA record for consecutive wins with an impressive streak of 111 games. The Huskies also boast the second-longest streak, which stands at 90 games.
Caroline Peper led the way for the two-time defending national champions with 27 points, ensuring a hard-fought victory on Sunday.
“For us, it was crucial that we represent NYU by breaking our rival’s record,” Peper remarked.
The two teams exchanged leads in the first half, with NYU up 32-29 at halftime thanks to a last-second 3-pointer by Brooke Batchelor.
Peper and Batchelor knocked down consecutive 3-pointers early in the third quarter, igniting a 17-6 run that put them ahead by double digits. The Tartans narrowed the gap to 56-51 midway through the fourth quarter, but Zahra Alexander, who scored all seven of her points in that final period, responded with back-to-back layups to widen the margin to 60-53 with 3:19 left on the clock.
Peper then hit a crucial 3-pointer just before the shot clock expired with a little over two minutes to go, sealing the victory.
This matchup was a rematch from the previous week, where NYU narrowly defeated Carnegie Mellon (12-7) by just one point. It was the closest any team had come to beating the Violets during this streak, as no other team this season has come within 12 points.
Throughout this historic run, only three other teams have come within single digits of the Violets: the University of Chicago lost by six, Whittier by eight, and Case Western Reserve by eight just two days ago.
Now with the record achieved, the Violets are setting their sights on clinching a fifth consecutive UAA Conference title and a third straight national championship. Washington University remains the only school to accomplish this feat, having won four titles in a row from 1998 to 2001.
“While it hasn’t been our primary focus, we’re excited to represent a D-III record in such a significant way,” said Barber, who celebrated with her team in the locker room after the win. “We didn’t win a national championship today; we won a game and are concentrating on going 1-0 again on Friday. That has always been our main objective.”
Peper is the sole player on the roster who has experienced a loss in college at NYU, having been a freshman on the squad that fell to Transylvania in the Elite Eight of the Division III NCAA tournament.
