The New York University men's basketball team played its first road game of the season and defeated Wells College 89-67 in Aurora, NY, on Tuesday, January 5.
The Violets, ranked #14 in the nation by
D3Hoops.com, remained undefeated at 9-0 while Wells fell to 3-7.
A pair of Violets recorded double-doubles, as
Evan Kupferberg finished with 24 points and 11 rebounds and
Patrick Burns went for 18 and 13, respectively.
NYU trailed by as many as four points early before
Tony Bai's layup with 9:36 left in the first half broke a 21-21 tie and ignited a 12-2 run. The Violets went on to a 43-33 lead at halftime.
The Express came roaring back, however, and took a 56-55 lead midway through the second half. But,
Jay Murphy then hit a three-pointer, Bai followed with a bucket and the Violets never trailed again.
"We got great contributions from
Tony Bai and
Jay Murphy off the bench," said Assistant Coach
Taylor Roth. "Both of them made some big plays."
Bai finished with a career-high 15 points, while Murphy contributed a career-best five assists.
HIGHLIGHTS:-
Costis Gontikas and
Ross Udine each scored 11 points for the Violets. Gontikas also had six rebounds and two blocks, while Udine totaled a game-high eight assists.
- Burns rejected a game-high three shots.
- Rich Ross led Wells with 17 points.
"I was pleased with the energy from all of our guys, especially when you're on the road and can't rely on the crowd for an emotional lift," Roth explained. "But, our entire team was emotionally invested and that really helped."
The Violets return to action and open University Athletic Association (UAA) play this Saturday, January 9. when they host Brandeis University. Tipoff at the Coles Sports Center is scheduled for 3:00 pm.
