Box Score
Kyle Stockmal scored all of his career-high 13 points after intermission, but the New York University men's basketball team still needed to survive a potential game-tying three-pointer by the University of Rochester at the buzzer before emerging with a 78-75 victory over its University Athletic Association (UAA) rival Sunday afternoon at the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.
Stockmal converted an old-fashioned, three-point play to put the Violets (11-5, 2-3 UAA) ahead to stay, 46-43, with 11:15 remaining, and then drained three-pointers on three straight trips downcourt to cap a 28-14 surge and give the home team a 66-55 cushion with 4:33 remaining.
However, the Yellowjackets (12-4, 3-2 UAA) kept charging thanks to a potent three-point performance. Mike Labanowski scored a game-high 23 points and hit six of his seven treys after halftime as Rochester, which hit 10 of its 17 long-distance tries over the last 20 minutes, made it a one-possession contest twice in the final minute.
Milan Moncrief (22 points, 7 boards) got Rochester within 74-71 after hitting a three-ball with :45 seconds left. After NYU upped its lead to 77-72 when Richie Polan went 1-for-2 at the foul line with 15 ticks remaining, John DiBartolomeo (8 assists) scored his only points on a trey with 7.1 seconds to go. Polan was fouled immediately on the inbounds play and again made 1-for-2 at the charity stripe, setting the stage for Bill Serle's attempt that clanged off the far-side rim as time expired.
Rochester trailed 29-17 in the second half. But, after whittling NYU's lead down to 34-30 at the break, used an 11-4 surge to claim a 41-38 advantage after a Labanowski trey with 15:55 remaining.
From there, the tandem of Polan and Stockmal combined to tally 23 points during NYU's ensuing 28-14 run that gave the victors a 63-52 advantage with 5:40 left.
"He's much more confident. Not just today, but in general," NYU head coach Joe Nesci said of Stockmal. "He's more confident in his shooting. And as you know, shooting has a lot to do with confidence."
Meanwhile, Polan produced all but three rebounds of his final statline of 16 points and seven rebounds after intermission. He paced four double-digit scorers for NYU, a quartet that also included Carl Yaffe (13 points) and Omar Meziab (11 points, career-high-tying 7 assists).
Overall, NYU shot 58.3% (28-for-48) from the floor, including an 8-20 performance from behind the three-point arc, and owned a 33-28 rebounding edge.
Marcus Robertson added 14 points for Rochester, which converted 44.3% (27-for-61) of its attempts overall and 43.3% (13-for-30) from long range.
NYU will continue its four-game homestand Friday, Jan. 29, when it hosts UAA rival Carnegie Mellon University. The game is a Tear It Up! event and will tip off at 8 p.m.
