Box Score

For the second time in a week, the New York University men's basketball team rallied late against the University of Rochester but ultimately fell, this time losing 78-70 on Friday, February 4, at the Palestra in Rochester, NY.

 

The Violets (12-7, 1-7) trailed the first-place Yellowjackets (15-4, 7-1) by as many as 19 in the second half and were down 11 before a late rally got them as close as five. But a pair of three-point attempts that would have made it a one-possession game wouldn't fall, helping Rochester remain alone atop the University Athletic Association (UAA) standings.

 

NYU got the rally started with the score 69-58 and 5:00 to play. Max Wein hit his first free throw and missed the second, but Andy Stein came down with the offensive board. After Stein's miss, Carl Yaffe tipped in the rebound to cut the deficit to eight.

 

Following a stop, Yaffe fed Derek Becker for a layup, making the score 69-63 with 4:24 left. But just over a minute later, Mike Labanowski drained a three-pointer off an inbounds pass from under the basket to put the Yellowjackets back up nine.

 

Becker and Yaffe responded, however, by hitting four straight free throws, pulling the Violets to within five at 72-67. Yaffe then came up with a steal on the defensive end, but Wein's triple attempt from the left corner – which would have made it a two-point game – was short.

 

John DiBartolomeo, Rochester's top offensive threat all night, missed the back end of a one-and-one to give NYU hope, but the Violets again could not hit a three that would have made it a one-possession game, as Yaffe's attempt from the top of the arc rattled off the rim. The Yellowjackets went five-for-six from the free-throw line the rest of the way to seal the win.

 

Rochester, which leads all of Division III in field-goal percentage and three-point field-goal percentage, finished the game 12-for-25 (48.0%) from three, led by four from Nate Vernon. NYU, meanwhile, hit 7 of 21 attempts (33.3%) from beyond the arc.

 

Stein led the Violets with 15 points and added six rebounds. Becker, Yaffe and D.J. Glavan all netted 11 points, while Kyle Stockmal tallied 10. Yaffe added eight boards and Becker led all players with five assists.

 

DiBartolomeo poured in 27 points for the Yellowjackets on 9-for-13 shooting. Vernon totaled 18 points and six rebounds, while Chris Dende scored 11 points.

 

NYU is back in action on Sunday when it travels to Atlanta, GA, to take on Emory University, which currently sits in second in the UAA with a 6-2 mark. Tip-off is at noon.