The New York University men's basketball team, returning to the court for the first time in 19 days, defeated Western Connecticut State University 64-53 on Sunday, December 30, in Danbury CT.

The Violets who last played on December 11 in an 89-76 win over Hunter College, evened their record at 5-5 while the Colonials fell to 7-4. 

Jule Brown hit consecutive buckets to start the game, one of them a three-pointer, as NYU took a quick 5-0 lead. However, a 11-1 run by the Colonials immediately followed and gave the home team an 11-6 lead.

Western Connecticut increased its lead to nine points, 21-12, before the Violets ended the first half on a 16-7 streak and knotted the game at 28-28 heading into the intermission.  

The game remained close and was again tied at 41-41 when Dom Cristiano's jumper with 7:51 remaining broke the deadlock and gave NYU the lead for good. That bucket started a 19-4 run for the Violets as they took a game-high 15-point lead and held a double-digit advantage the rest of the way.

"We were a little sluggish and sloppy at first. Both teams were," said Head Coach Dagan Nelson. "We hadn't played since the 11th and they hadn't played since the 15th and it showed." 

Alex Casieri led four Violets in double figures with 16 points. Cristiano (13 points, 12 rebounds) and Jimmy Martinelli (14 points, 11 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles.

Brown finished with 11 points and a team-best three assists as the Violets connected on a season-high 10 three-pointers.

Ronald Jefferson led Western Connecticut with 14 points. 

"We made shots in the second half that weren't falling in the first half," Nelson explained. "But, the key was holding them to 28% shooting and about 25 points below their average. That's going to win you a lot of games." 

The Violets return to action on Wednesday, January 2, when they travel to Bradford, PA, for a matchup against the University of Pittsburgh at Bradford. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00pm.