The New York University men's basketball team defeated #4-ranked (
D3hoops.com) Washington University-St. Louis 91-67 on Friday night, January 23, at the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.
The Violets (11-4, 2-2 University Athletic Association) took control of the scoreboard against the Bears (13-2, 2-2 UAA) from buzzer to buzzer, leading throughout. NYU scored the first 11 points of the contest and led by as much as 28 points with time winding down in the second half.
"It helped us that we got off to a really fast start," said NYU Head Coach Joe Nesci. "We played with a lot of energy and we had a rhythm right away."Hakeem Harris and
Costis Gontikas scored 24 points and 22 points, respectively. The duo helped lead the Violets to their highest scoring total since they
tallied 92 against Carnegie Mellon University last season. Harris hit five of his first six three-point attempts, as NYU scored 54 points in the first half.
"It helps a lot when you have that balance of perimeter scoring and inside scoring," continued Nesci. "Your bigger players are then able to play with more space. It certainly make the offense easier and makes it more challenging for the opposing defense."
HIGHLIGHTS:-
Evan Kupferberg tallied 12 points and 11 rebounds for his eighth double-double of the season.
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Max Ralby led the Violets with a season- and game-best seven assists to go along with five points and four rebounds.
- Gontikas' 22 points came on 9-of-11 shooting and a perfect 4-of-4 from the foul line. The junior center added four rebounds in a game-high 31 minutes.
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Ross Udine scored in double digits for the Violets, totaling 11 points.
The Violets will be back in action on Sunday, January 25, for another UAA contest against #21-ranked University of Chicago. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:00 pm at Coles --
live stats and
live video will be available.
