Box Score
Richie Polan scored his 1,000th career point as the New York University men's basketball team cruised to an 85-59 victory over Hunter College on Tuesday night, January 11, at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.
Polan entered the contest needing seven points to reach the millennium mark. After hitting a pair of layups in the first 10 minutes, he drained a three-pointer with 8:59 to play in the first half to become the 26th player in school history to reach 1,000.
“I'm proud of Richie,” said head coach Joe Nesci. “In his three-plus years here, he's been a great representative for our program. He's having an excellent season, and it's great that he got the 1,000th point at home and that we won the game.”
The win was especially important for NYU after it suffered a heartbreaking loss at the buzzer to Brandeis University in its University Athletic Association (UAA) opener on Saturday. In their final non-conference game of the season, the Violets rediscovered the form that helped them to a 10-0 start, once again moving the ball extremely well, to the tune of 22 assists – their eighth game this season with at least 20.
“The guys were anxious to get back on the court after the loss on Saturday (to Brandeis),” commented Nesci. “The next game you play is the one you remember.
“Our effort was good,” he added. “I was pleased with the defensive intensity. We shot the ball better and we had a good amount of assists.”
Polan's historic shot pushed the Violets' (11-1) lead to 11. With its advantage down to eight, at 30-22, Max Wein sparked a 10-0 spurt, draining a three-pointer and then converting a traditional three-point play. Kyle Stockmal's four-point play capped the run, putting NYU up 40-22.
The Violets entered halftime leading the Hawks (7-7) 46-29. They eventually led by as many as 28 in the second period while never letting the lead dip below 16.
Andy Stein led all scorers with a career-high 22 points, shooting an extremely efficient 8-for-11 from the field (and 4-for-4 from the free-throw line). Stockmal netted 13 points while shooting 4-for-5, and Carl Yaffe added 11. In his history-making night, Polan finished with nine points and nine rebounds.
For the game, the NYU shot 55.9% (33-for-59) from the field while holding the Hawks to 35.9% (23-for-64) shooting.
Jason Cole led Hunter with 14 points, while Mark Courtien netted 11. Anthony Uter and John Akinyemi each pulled down six boards.
The Violets return to action on Friday when they travel to Cleveland, OH, to take on UAA foe Case Western Reserve University. Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.
