Box Score

The New York University men's basketball team had a chance to tie or take the lead in the closing seconds but ultimately fell to Washington University, 80-76, on Friday, January 21, at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.

Both teams entered the contest at 0-3 in the University Athletic Association (UAA) and in desperate need of a win. In the end, though, the two-time defending Association Champion Bears (7-8, 1-3) pulled out the victory despite a late push from NYU (11-4, 0-4), which has lost its four UAA games by a combined 16 points.

With the score tied 68-68 and 4:33 to play, Caleb Knepper drained a three-pointer to put Washington ahead. Kyle Stockmal responded with a pull-up jumper near the top of the key to keep the Violets close, but Knepper again knocked down a triple – his fourth of the second half – to give the Bears a four-point edge.

After the teams traded possessions, Carl Yaffe fed Andy Stein inside for a layup to pull NYU to within two, 74-72, with 1:16 left. Alex Toth put the Bears back up four before Stein, who finished with a career-high-tying 22 points, again hit a layup inside, this time on a spin move with 32.2 ticks left, to make it a two-point game.

The Violets then fouled Ben Hoener, sending him to the line for a one-and-one. Hoener missed the free throw and Yaffe came down with the board, giving NYU a chance to tie or take the lead. But Yaffe's feed to Stein inside sailed out of bounds with 20.3 seconds left. The Bears then went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line to seal the victory.

NYU kept the game close in the first half despite red-hot shooting from Washington, which converted on 62.5% of its attempts in the period. The Violets, meanwhile, shot tremendously from beyond the arc, hitting 9-of-16 three-point attempts in the period. NYU finished the game with 14 threes, one shy of the Coles Sports Center record, while the two teams combined to break the record for most triples made in a game at Coles, with 24.

The Violets entered halftime trailing 43-39, and the second half was equally close, with neither team taking a lead bigger than three until the final 20 seconds, when NYU was forced to foul. Stein and Yaffe took over for the Violets in the period, combining for 26 of the team's 37 points.

Stein went 9-for-13 from the floor to record his 22 points and added six rebounds and three assists. Yaffe finished with 16 points, eight boards and four assists. Stockmal added 12 points, and Ben Dorman provided a big boost off the bench, scoring 11 points on three big three-pointers.

Gay led Washington with 22 points on 7-of-12 shooting. Hoener had 18 and six assists, while Dylan Richter (13 points) and Knepper (12 points) also scored in double figures.

The Violets return to the hardwood on Sunday when they host the University of Chicago. Game time is set for noon.