Box Score
With its leading scorer plagued by foul trouble, the New York University men's basketball team lost 87-78 to Emory University on Sunday, January 30, at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.
Andy Stein, who entered the contest leading both NYU (12-6, 1-6) and the University Athletic Association (UAA) in scoring at 16.2 points per game, picked up two fouls in the first minute of the game and a third just moments after reentering late in the first half.
Without Stein or second-leading scorer Richie Polan, who missed his fourth straight game with an injury, the Violets hung tough in the early going against the second-place Eagles (14-4, 5-2). But, Emory used a big first-half run to build a double-digit lead and staved off a late rally that gave the Violets a chance to get as close as six.
“This is the first UAA game that we weren't in it at the end,” said head coach Joe Nesci, whose Violets' first five UAA losses came by an average margin of 3.6 points. “We need to be a little sharper overall.”
The Eagles were very sharp during a 14-2 first-half run, led by a pair of three-pointers from Justin Resnick, which gave them a 36-22 lead with 4:09 left in the first period.
NYU responded by scoring the next eight points, including three free throws from Kyle Stockmal after the sophomore was fouled on a three-point attempt. A D.J. Glavan free throw minutes later made it a five-point game, but Emory scored the final four points of the half to take a 44-35 advantage into the break.
The Eagles stayed hot to start the second period, going on a 10-2 run out of halftime to build a huge 17-point lead. During the run, Stein picked up his fourth foul. But, with NYU trailing by double digits he checked back in with 17 minutes left to play.
Emory eventually led by as many as 23, 73-50, but the Violets began to rally with 4:45 left and the score at 79-61. Stockmal sparked a 10-0 spurt with a three, and Max Wein followed with a layup and a tremendous three-point play. A pair of Stein free throws made it 79-71 with 2:15 left.
However, that was as close as NYU would get. Glavan twice brought the deficit back down to eight, including a big three from the left corner after Stockmal rebounded his own miss. But with the team trailing by nine and 1:41 to go, Carl Yaffe's three-pointer from the top of the arc rattled out and Wein's follow wouldn't go.
Five Violets scored in double figures, led by a career-high 16 from Ben Dorman. Glavan (season-high 15 points), Stein (12), Stockmal (11), and Wein (10) rounded out the group. Yaffe added nine points and seven rebounds.
Austin Claunch led Emory with 27 points (13 free throws) and four assists while playing the full 40 minutes. Jake Davis (15 points), Alex Gulotta (12), Michael Friedberg (10), and Julien Williams (10) joined him in double figures.
NYU returns to the court on Friday, February 4, when it travels upstate to take on first-place University of Rochester. Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.
