The New York University Men's Basketball Team picked up where it left off prior to Thanksgiving, returning to the court on Sunday, November 28, and defeating The College at Old Westbury 91-72.

The Violets (6-1) trailed early in the contest, which was held at Farmingdale State College in Farmingdale, NY. Behind 13-11, NYU scored the next eight points and never trailed again. 

The Panthers (4-2) pulled within three points, 38-35, with just over two minutes left in the first half. However, the Violets scored the next six points and led 44-35 at intermission. 

The NYU run continued into the second half as the Violets scored the first five points of the session. 

Old Westbury never got closer than seven points the rest of the way as NYU's lead expanded to a game-high 19 points in the final minute. 

"The biggest key to the game was we shot almost 61 percent in the second second half and that's what created the separation between us and Old Westbury," said Head Coach Dagan Nelson. "We made good passes and had 18 assists on our 31 baskets. That's efficient basketball."

Bobby Hawkinson (Frankfort, IL/Marist) led the way for NYU, recording his fifth double-double of the season with 21 points and 14 rebounds, while also adding four assists. He connected on all eight of his shots from the field and each of his five free throws.

"Bobby is playing with lots of confidence and we're making a concerted effort to get him touches," Nelson explained. "We're playing through Bobby and he's a good passer from the low post. His confidence is as high as it's been since he's been here."

Jacob Sussman (Mount Olive, NJ/The Lawrenceville School) added 17 points and Zay Freeney (Phoenix, AZ/South Mountain) chipped in with 11 for NYU. 

"We've been shooting well and have a lot of athletes on the team," Sussman said. "Our defense has been good in both positioning and effort. My year off from playing (due to Covid) allowed me to play with older guys and helped make my transition from high school to college a lot smoother." 

Harrison Whatley (Mount Pleasant, SC/Porter Gaud) contributed nine rebounds and Nick Macarchuk (Alamo, CA/St. Thomas Moore Prep) totaled a team-high five assists for NYU. 

The Violets take a littler breather before returning to action on Tuesday, December 7, when they host York College (NY) at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility. Tip-off is set for 7:00pm.