Box Score
Carl Yaffe let neither the depths of a 15-point deficit nor the vocal home crowd disturb him during the finest stretch of his young collegiate career, which is why the New York University men's basketball team got to celebrate one of its most impressive victories in recent memory.
Yaffe scored 13 of his 16 points in the second half, including a pair of free throws with 14.6 seconds remaining, as the Violets recorded a thrilling 59-58 victory over University Athletic Association (UAA) rival Carnegie Mellon University at Skibo Gymnasium in Pittsburgh on Friday night.
When it was all over, Yaffe's 16 points and 11 rebounds gave him his second collegiate double-double, while Keith Jensen contributed 19 points, seven boards and three steals, two of which culminated in dunks during the Violets' comeback.
"For me, as a coach, I'm really proud when our team never stops and never quits," NYU head coach Joe Nesci said. "If anything, they really sensed the urgency and responded."
However, NYU's (14-5, 5-3 UAA) fourth straight triumph was secured only after the Tartans (4-15, 0-8 UAA) went 0-for-4 from the foul line over the final 34.4 seconds.
After enduring several fitful scoreless stretches in the first half, the Violets put together their most impressive surge after finding themselves with a 44-29 deficit and the clock reading 15:12 remaining in regulation. NYU scored 18 straight points to seize a 47-44 lead with 11:09 left. Yaffe caught fire from beyond the arc, sandwiching a pair of deep three-pointers around an old-fashioned three-point play to highlight his 11-point contribution to the run.
However, NYU went the next 5:29 without scoring, enduring a 10-0 spurt by the Tartans before a pair of Jensen free throws got the visitors within 53-49 with 5:40 to go. A Jensen dunk off a steal forged a 53-all tie. Both teams traded baskets before Jack Anderson (game-high 22 points) hit a trey to push Carnegie Mellon ahead, 58-55.
A pair of Derek Becker free throws with 1:21 remaining cut the Violet deficit to 58-57. Carnegie Mellon saw an opportunity to extend its lead wasted when Anderson misfired twice from the charity stripe with 34.4 ticks left. Following a Yaffe miss from three-point land, Jon Wolleben went 0-for-2 at the line. Yaffe grabbed the rebound and was fouled, setting the stage for his winning conversions from the charity stripe.
"Carl's very, very steady," Nesci said. "He doesn't get rattled. As a freshman, he's shown a lot of poise."
Anderson's off-balance, three-point attempt at the buzzer clanged off the front rim to secure the NYU comeback.
All of this came after a first half that saw the Violets down 31-25 despite three scoreless stretches of 3:10 or greater, including a 6:41 drought as they were down by as many as 11 points twice during the first 20 minutes.
Neither team converted better than 40.0% of their shots: NYU was 38.9% from the floor (21-for-54) and 33.3% (6-for-18) from three-point range, while Carnegie Mellon shot 39.3% overall (24-for-61) and 25.9% (7-for-27) from long distance.
The biggest difference, as it turned out, came via free-throw shooting: the Violets converted 11 of their 14 tries (78.6%), while the Tartans finished 3-for-12 (25.0%).
To end its road trip, NYU will face Case Western Reserve University on Sunday in Cleveland at noon.
