Box Score

The 16th-ranked New York University men's basketball team rallied late but fell short of a big comeback, losing 62-53 at the University of Rochester on Sunday, February 12, in Rochester, NY.
 
The Violets (18-4, 7-4) trailed by as many as 18 points in the second half before going on a 20-6 spurt to pull to within four with 1:08 to play. But NYU could not get a much-needed stop on the next possession and the Yellowjackets (15-7, 6-5) pulled out the victory, extending their regular-season home winning streak to 19 games and their University Athletic Association (UAA) home winning streak to 15.
 
The loss, coupled with victories by Washington University and #23 Emory University, put the Violets in a tie for second place in the UAA with Emory. Both teams stand two games back of Washington.
 
The nation's leading three-point shooting team, NYU struggled from beyond the arc, shooting just 7-23 (30.4%). The Violets also failed to take advantage of their opportunities at the free-throw line, going just 6-16 (37.5%) from the charity stripe – the exact same numbers they shot at the line in a 52-49 loss to Brandeis University in the UAA opener.
 
“Offensively, we just couldn't get into any sort of constant rhythm,” said head coach Joe Nesci. “I give them some credit for being physical with our cutters, but we just needed to do a better job executing. We also shot ourselves in the foot at the foul line.”
 
Rochester took a slim 28-26 lead into halftime before exploding to start the second period. The Yellowjackets went on a 15-2 run in the first 4:10 of the half, building a 43-28 lead.
 
Reigning UAA Player of the Year John DiBartolomeo hit a layup to make the lead 48-30 with 11:37 left. Rochester's advantage was still 18 when NYU began its late rally, which started with back-to-back Stein layups and a Max Wein three-pointer.
 
Chris Dende and Tyler Seidman responded with layups for the Yellowjackets to put their lead back at 15, but the Violets then scored 10 unanswered to pull to within five. Carl Yaffe made back-to-back steals late in the run, which led to him converting a triple on the other end and then Wein finishing a fantastic left-handed layup with 3:32 to play to make it 54-49.
 
After a Rob Reid dunk, Yaffe hit another trey, pulling NYU to within four with 1:08 left. But DiBartolomeo responded with a layup and then went 4-4 from the line to seal the victory.
 
“I honestly thought we handled their two leading scorers well – DiBartolomeo was only 3-12,” commented Nesci. “If you had told me we'd keep them in the 60's I would have thought we'd have a good chance to win, but I've got to give them credit.”
 
Stein finished with a game-high 17 points, giving him 1,195 for his career and moving him past Naismith Hall of Famer Tom “Satch” Sanders on the school's all-time scoring list. Stein is now 15th in school history in scoring.
 
Kyle Stockmal added 10 points, including converting a four-point play late in the first half. Wein finished with eight points and three blocks, while Yaffe had eight points, five rebounds and three steals.
 
DiBartolomeo scored 12 of his 13 points for Rochester in the second half and added eight assists. Dende totaled 12 points and eight boards, while Seidman finished with 11 points.
 
The Violets return to action with a Tear It Up! contest on Friday, Feb. 17, at the Coles Sports Center against the University of Chicago. Game time is scheduled for 8:00 pm.