Megan Dawe had a game-high 16 points, and Emily Rowe recorded the second double-double of her career as the NYU women’s basketball team improved to 6-0 Tuesday night. The Violets justified their number-12 ranking in the country by pummeling crosstown foe Brooklyn College 58-42.

NYU dominated the first half, scoring the first 12 points and never looking back. The team took a 34-14 lead into halftime. The Violets got off to a slow start in the second half, conceding an 11-point Brooklyn College run. Despite their struggles, they were able to get back on track, and exert their dominance while at one point extending their lead to as many as 25 points. Junior captain and forward Dawe had five boards to go along with her 16 points. Sophomore center/forward Rowe contributed a solid 10-point, 10-rebound performance to help keep the Bulldogs at bay. The Violets also were helped by strong play by their trio of guards — sophomore Amy Harioka, sophomore Kaitlyn Read and senior Melissa Peng.

Thus far, the team has lived up to the hype of their preseason ranking, as they near being top-ten in the country. It is going to take more than just talent and momentum to continue being successful, especially once the Violets venture into UAA play, where their opponents will be more familiar with their style of play.

Dawe acknowledged the team has noticed the rise in ranking, but they make sure to focus on upcoming games.

“The preseason ranking creates pressure as we want to live up to the expectations, but I also think it has been a great motivator for us,” Dawe said. “We have just been taking it one game at a time, focusing all our energy and work on the next game.”

If the Violets can maintain their high level of effort through entire contests, it will be a daunting proposition for their opponents.

“We just need to keep the intensity up and remember our game plan within each position,” Dawe said. “We can’t worry about beating [Wash. U.] later when we are playing Emmanuel on Saturday. It’s that constant reminder that we need to be successful now, in order to be successful in conference and, hopefully, in postseason.”

NYU hits the court again Dec. 6 at 6 pm at Coles Sports Center, where they will host Emmanuel College, who sit at 2-5. The team will be looking to build on their high scoring home outbursts, where it has averaged a scorching 74.8 points per game in five convincing victories.

 Email Bobby Wagner at [email protected].