NYU women’s basketball’s 91-game winning streak ends in Division III March Madness heartbreaker

All good things must come to an end.

The NYU women’s basketball team learned that the hard way Thursday night when Scranton terminated the Violets’ 91-game winning streak.

After securing back-to-back NCAA Division III national championships and three consecutive undefeated seasons, NYU’s dominant run ended with a stunning 60-52 Final Four loss. NYU knew it was facing arguably its toughest test in three years in Scranton, Pa.

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The Lady Royals embarrassed Pitt in front of its home crowd during an exhibition game in November.

Scranton entered Thursday 30-0, winning by an average of 38.4 points, and fresh off a 25-point win against Concordia-Moorhead in the Elite Eight.

NYU, ranked No. 2 in scoring margin (plus-36.3 points per game), scored a measly five points in the first quarter and trailed Scranton 30-18 at halftime.

The Violets made a valiant run out of the break to trim the Lady Royals’ lead to three, but Scranton ultimately held off NYU.

Thursday was the Violets’ first loss since March 11, 2023, when Transylvania defeated NYU in the Elite Eight. During their winning streak — the second longest in NCAA history — the Violets had beaten opponents by an average of more than 30 points per game.

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Last week, NYU coach Meg Barber told The Post that she couldn’t have imagined her program’s level of sustained success even in her wildest dreams.

“Although there’s a lot of loud outside noise, I came here to do this, in a way,” Barber said. “I really believed that this program had the opportunity to be a dominant force in the women’s basketball scene.”

Streaks are made to expire. NYU’s hourglass ran dry Thursday night. But the Violets forever cemented their spot in the history books.

With Thursday’s win, Scranton advanced to the national championship game to contend for its first title since 1985.