Box Score

The New York University men's basketball team fell 65-59 to Brandeis University in the teams' University Athletic Association (UAA) opener on Saturday, January 5, in Waltham, MA.
 
The Violets (9-2, 0-1) led by one at halftime but struggled offensively in the second half. They cut the Judges' (10-2, 1-0) lead to five several times in the final minutes but could never make it a one-possession game.
 
Highlights
 
- NYU controlled the opening 10 minutes, building an 18-8 advantage in the early going. Carl Yaffe had a huge one-handed slam plus the foul to help stake the Violets to the lead.
 
- Brandeis came back late in the first half, and Gabriel Moton hit three free throws with no time on the clock after being fouled on a last-second heave. Those free throws cut NYU's halftime lead to just one at 28-27.
 
- The Violets went cold on offense to start the second period, being held to just four points in the first eight minutes of the half. The Judges went up eight on a Moton three, and the lead grew to 10 with 11:49 left on a Derek Retos triple.
 
- Brandeis was still up 10 with 2:37 left before one last NYU charge. A Ryan Tana three made it a five-point game with 1:19 to go, but Moton, Retos and Colby Smith combined to go 9-10 from the line the rest of the way to help the Judges hold on.
 
- Devin Karch paced the Violets with 16 points and seven rebounds. Yaffe and Tana each had 13 points, with Tana adding three steals.
 
“We didn't stay with our offensive game plan,” said Head Coach Joe Nesci. “I give Brandeis credit for taking us out of our offense, but we need to do a better job looking for our second and third options. I thought we played hard and battled on the boards, and that's what kept us in the game.”
 
NYU concludes the non-conference portion of its schedule on Tuesday, January 8, when it hosts Hunter College. Game time is at 7:00 pm.