WALTHAM, MA - The Swarthmore College women's basketball team was dealt a tough matchup in a 108-49 season-opening loss to No. 1 NYU on Friday night. Despite an outstanding opening quarter for the Garnet offense, they were not able to keep pace with the women's basketball powerhouse. 

Vianna Kanyamiheto-Watson impressed in her collegiate debut, netting a game-high 21 points with five rebounds and three assists against the nation's top team. The rookie was lights out from beyond the arc shooting 3-of-4 from three-point range. Kanyamiheto-Watson was incredibly efficient with her scoring, shooting 50-percent from the field. 

Fellow first-year Catherine Chadwell also had a remarkable debut with double-digit points. The first-year finished second on the team in scoring with 11 points on 3-for-5 shooting. 

HOW IT HAPPENED
- The Violets raced out to a 13-0 start before Kanyamiheto-Watson settled things down with a much-needed triple. Later in the quarter, Carly Murphy and Kanyamiheto-Watson went back-to-back with threes before Emy Chen hit from long range to pull the Garnet within six points, 18-12. 

- In the final minutes of the opening stanza, NYU built its lead back to double digits as they entered the break with a 29-18 advantage. Despite its turnover issues, the Garnet remained in the game with an outstanding shooting performance in the first quarter. Swarthmore shot 58.3-percent from the field and knocked down four three-pointers. 

- NYU began to distance themselves from the Garnet with 15-unanswered points to open the second. Kanyamiheto-Watson and Chadwell both connected from long range in the quarter as the Garnet battled to withstand the high-powered Violets. NYU outscored the Garnet 25-9 to take a 54-27 advantage into halftime.

- Plagued by slow starts, the Garnet allowed six-answered points to open the third quarter. Chadwell helped slow down the Violets, knocking down 4-of-4 from the foul line to put points on the board for Swarthmore. NYU dominated most of the quarter until the Garnet ended the stanza on a 6-2 run with four points in the final minute. The Violets entered the final quarter with a 85-39 edge. 

- Murphy and Chen scored early buckets for the Garnet in the fourth quarter. However, the Violets expanded their lead to put away Swarthmore. Kaylah Jacques added a pair of buckets in the quarter, while Kanyamiheto-Watson closed out her night with a 21-point performance. 

GARNET LEADERS
Points: Kanyamiheto-Watson 21
Rebounds: Kanyamiheto-Watson, Chadwell, Murphy, Chen 4
Assists: Kanyamiheto-Watson 3
Threes: Kanyamiheto-Watson 3
Steals: Chadwell 2

UP NEXT
The Garnet (0-1) look to bounce back tomorrow against Brandeis University.