Box Score

With the game less than three minutes old, it became apparent that this was going to be a special night for the New York University men's basketball program.
 
Entering the game, Violets' head coach Joe Nesci needed one more victory to become the program's leader in all-time coaching wins.
 
Well, #410 came easier than expected as the Violets (7-0) scored the first 13 points of the game en route to an 83-46 win over Hamilton College (9-2) on Friday night at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.
 
Max Wein's three-pointer at the 17:10 mark capped the game-opening streak that propelled NYU to the win and Nesci to an exclusive place atop the Violets' all-time wins list.

“That opening run gave us a lot of confidence,” Nesci said. “But, the key to the win was defense. I can't say enough about our defensive effort.”
 
Nesci, now in his 24^th season at NYU (410-196), entered the game tied with NYU Hall of Famer Howard Cann (409-232), who coached the team from 1923-58.
 
NYU's men's basketball program was established in 1906-07. Formerly a NCAA Division I powerhouse featuring the likes of Dolph Schayes, Tom “Satch” Sanders, Harold “Happy” Hairston, and Cal Ramsey, NYU transitioned to Division III in 1983-84.
 
“I'm fortunate and blessed to be part of this program and this university,” Nesci said. “I'm proud of what we've accomplished. It's the team that wins, not the coach.”
 
After Hamilton's Ephraim McDowell halted NYU's opening streak with a three-pointer, the Violets' Kyle Stockmal followed with consecutive three-pointers and the rout was underway.
 
NYU cruised to a 45-22 halftime advantage, hitting nine of 13 three-point shots during the session.
 
The Violets, who led by as many as 42 points (75-33) in the second half, shot 58.3% (28-48) from the field, including 11-of-18 from three-point range. Meanwhile, NYU's stifling defense held Hamilton to just 30.4% (17-56) shooting.  
 
Four Violets scored in double figures, led by Andy Stein and Stockmal with 13 points each. Ryan Tana had 11 points and a career-high eight assists. Carl Yaffe narrowly missed a double-double with 10 points and a game-high nine rebounds.
 
Pat Sullivan was the lone player in double-figure scoring for the Continentals with 13 points.
 
“No doubt this was our best game of the season, and it came against the best team we've played all year,” Nesci said. “We needed to raise our game against this level of competition, and we were able to do that.”
 
The Violets return to action on Monday, January 2, when they host Clarkson University at 6:00pm in the annual NYU Holiday Classic.