Box Score

In the final game of the Holiday Classic and its last non-conference tune-up before University Athletic Association (UAA) play, the New York University men's basketball team rolled past Swarthmore College 73-58 on Monday night, January 3, at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.

All-Tournament honorees Richie Polan and Andy Stein led the Violets (10-0) to victory. Polan recorded his fourth straight double-double – and ninth in 10 games – with 11 points and 12 rebounds, while Stein scored a team-high 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting and added six boards.

D.J. Glavan (14 points), Derek Becker (12 points) and Max Wein (10 points) also scored in double figures for NYU's balanced attack. It was the third time in the last four games that five Violets hit double digits in scoring.

“Our guys continue to play unselfishly,” said head coach Joe Nesci. “It's not about what someone did yesterday; it's about what he does today.”

What the Violets did against Swarthmore was shoot lights out in the first half and play lockdown defense in the second. NYU shot 53.6% (15-for-28) in the opening 20 minutes while using a late run to pull away. Leading 29-28 with 5:47 to play, the Violets closed the half on a 12-3 spurt, led by Becker, who netted 8 of his 11 first-half points during the run.

NYU entered halftime up 10, 41-31, but Swarthmore (4-7) quickly cut the deficit to four early in the second half. Then Stein and Glavan took over, leading a 13-0 run to build a huge lead. The duo combined for the first 10 points of the spurt, helping the Violets take a 57-40 advantage with 13:06 to go.

“We've done a good job of adjusting to different defenses,” said Nesci of the team's strong offensive performance. “We took control of things in the second half. I think we executed well tonight.”

The Garnet never got closer than 13 the rest of the way as the NYU defense then did its part. For the period, Swarthmore hit just eight field goals and shot 26.7% (8-for-30) from the floor.

Glavan added five rebounds and four assists to his 14-point performance. Kyle Stockmal also pulled down five boards, while Carl Yaffe had six.

Will Gates, who joined Polan and Stein on the All-Tournament Team, led Swarthmore with 26 points and eight rebounds. Jordan Federer and Sam Lacy both netted eight points for the Garnet.

Jon Greenberg and Jamal Brown of the Massachussetts College of Liberal Arts rounded out the All-Tournament Team.

NYU returns to action with its UAA opener on Saturday at #15 Brandeis, a squad that joins the Violets in the ranks of the unbeaten at 8-0. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:00 pm in Waltham, MA.