The New York University men's basketball team was defeated 76-66 by host University of Chicago in University Athletic Association (UAA) action on Sunday, February 17, in Chicago, IL.

Chicago improved to 15-9 on the season and 8-5 in UAA action, while the Violets slipped to 7-17 overall and 1-12 in Association play.

The Violets turned the ball over a season-low 10 times, but struggled offensively, shooting just 3-for-14 (21.4%) from three-point range. Meanwhile, the Maroons hit 10 triples in the contest and committed six turnovers. 

NYU scored the first four points of the game and the teams went back-and-forth for much of the first half until an 11-4 run gave Chicago a 35-27 advantage at halftime.

The Violets cut the deficit to one, 37-36, on a Jimmy Martinelli three-pointer early in the half, but were never able to tie the game or take the lead. 

Chicago answered Martinelli's triple with two three-pointers of its own as part of an 8-0 run and never looked back, leading by double-digits for much of the second half. The lead blossomed to a game-high 15 points with just more than six minutes to play, before NYU was able to cut it to 10 when the final buzzer sounded. 

Martinelli and Bobby Hawkinson, a pair of Illinois natives, recorded big games for the Violets. Martinelli scored a team-high 14 points, while Hawkinson scored 10 points and grabbed a game-high 12 rebounds for a double-double.

Max Jacobs led the Maroons with a game-high 15 points.  

NYU returns to the court on Saturday, February 23, when it hosts Brandeis University in its season finale. Tip-off is scheduled for 3pm at the Sportsplex in Manhattan.