NYU 66 Hunter 63
The New York University men's basketball team completed non-conference regular season play with a gritty, come-from-behind 66-63 victory at Hunter College on Tuesday night, January 7, in Manhattan.
The Violets (10-1) trailed by 13 with just under nine minutes remaining in the first half, but mounted another comeback in the second half behind some strong three-point shooting and solid play under the basket, offensively. NYU climbed to within three at the end of the first half, trailing 31-28 heading into the lockerroom.
The Violets knotted up the score three times in the second half before taking their first lead of the game with just under seven minutes remaining, 52-51. NYU didn't look back from that point, earning the hard-fought victory over the Hawks (6-6).
HIGHLIGHTS:
- NYU outscored Hunter 36-14 in the paint. In addition, the Violets shot 75.0 percent (6-8) from the three-point line in the second half.
- Sophomore forward
Evan Kupferberg led four Violets in double figures by registering yet another double-double with 20 points on 10-of-12 shooting and 11 rebounds.
- Senior co-captain guard
Ryan Tana sunk four three-pointers in the second half to lead NYU to the victory, notching 16 points, five assists and three rebounds.
- Sophomore forward
Costis Gontikas (12 points and five rebounds) and sophomore point guard
Max Ralby (career-high 10 points, three assists and three steals) rounded out the Violets who scored in double figures.
"We had to gut it out because we missed a ton of foul shots that would have put us in a position to ice the game, but our play picked up late," said Head Coach
Joe Nesci. "Hunter has a really good scorer who can keep the game close, but I thought our guys gutted it out."
NYU will be back in action when it returns home to Coles on Saturday, January 11, for its University Athletic Association (UAA) opener. The Violets will host Brandeis University with tip-off scheduled for 4:00 pm.
"I expect Brandeis to be the toughest game we've played all year, that's for sure," said Nesci.
