The New York University men's basketball team, ranked #15 in the nation by
D3hoops.com, dropped its first game of the season, 71-64, to Emory University on Friday, January 15, at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.
The Violets (11-1, 1-1) led their University Athletic Association (UAA) opponent by six points, 14-8, midway through the first half. But, a 31-13 run by the Eagles (9-4, 2-0) gave Emory a 39-27 halftime lead it would never relinquish.
NYU was able to pull within six points on two occasions early in the second half, then fell behind by as many as 17 before rallying to within five, 69-64, with nine seconds left in the game.
"We didn't give up and played right through to the end," said NYU Head Coach
Joe Nesci. "Offensively, we just couldn't get it going, which hurt us, because our defense really put us into a position where we had a chance in the second half."
The Violets were never able to get untracked offensively in the contest, shooting only 34.5% in the first half and 36.4% for the game. NYU's defense held the Eagles to 33.8% from the floor, but Emory outscored the Violets 33-18 from three-point range.
Evan Kupferberg finished with a double-double for the Violets, scoring 14 points and pulling down a game-high 14 rebounds.
Costis Gontikas had 17 points, seven rebounds and four blocks, while
Ross Udine totaled a team-high 18 points.
HIGHLIGHTS:-
Max Ralby contributed eight rebounds for the Violets, who had a 50-44 advantage on the boards.
- Ralby and Udine each had five assists.
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Joe Timmes scored a season-high six points.
- Will Trawick scored a game-high 21 points for Emory.
"We have to learn from our miscues tonight and then look forward to another tough game," Nesci explained. "That's the way it is in the UAA -- you play Friday and you've got to be ready on Sunday right away."The Violets return to action this Sunday, January 17, when they host UAA-rival University of Rochester. Tipoff is set for 12:00 pm at the Coles Sports Center.
