The New York University men's basketball team defeated the College of New Rochelle 100-87 on Thursday, December 7, at the Sportsplex in Manhattan.

The host Violets (4-2) lost all but one point of an 18-point second-half lead, but held on to register the victory over the Blue Angels (3-6).  

New Rochelle led early, 10-6, before the Violets reeled off the next 17 points. The Blue Angels took that four-point lead with 15:10 remaining in the first half and did not score again until the 8:37 mark (two free throws). Their next basket was not recorded until there was 7:12 left in the half. 

NYU increased its advantage to 17 points, 44-27, on Jimmy Martinelli's three-pointer with 57 seconds left, before settling for a 47-33 halftime lead.

The Violets took a game-high 18-point lead, 58-40, on Ethan Feldman's three-pointer with 17:56 remaining, and were still ahead by that amount, 61-43, following Dom Cristiano's layup with 16:45 left. 

However, the Blue Angels went on a 23-6 run and pulled within one, 67-66, on Dante Pulido's basket with 9:50 left. 

But, the Violets never relinquished the lead and used a 20-4 streak to take an 87-70 lead.

"They cut it to one, but we were able to get key stops after that," said Assistant Coach Michael McSloy. "We took better care of the ball and got better shots after we stopped their run."

New Rochelle never got closer than 10 points the rest of the way.

Ethan Feldman led the Violets with 26 points.

Both Cristiano (24 points, 16 rebounds) and Martinelli (22 points, 10 rebounds) recorded double-doubles.

"It's important to be able to score inside and allow us to get extra shots on offense," McSloy explained. "Those two really did a great job around the basket."

Ross Udine also finished with a double-double, recording 13 assists and scoring 12 points.

BASKET BULLETS:

- Bobby Hawkinson added nine points for the Violets.

- The Violets had not hit the century mark since a 100-82 win over Case Western Reserve University on January 31, 2016.

- New Rochelle's Hunter Schenkel led all scorers with 33 points.

"It's important to get a win like this, especially for a young team to withstand their comeback," McSloy concluded. "It's important for us growing as a team." 

The Violets return to action this Sunday, December 10, when they host Elmira College. Tipoff is set for 1pm at the Sportsplex.