The New York University men's basketball team, ranked #9 in NCAA Division III, defeated SUNY Oneonta 80-64 in the Championship Game of the NYU Holiday Tournament on Saturday, December 30, at the John A. Paulson Center in Manhattan.

The Violets (10-1) trailed the Red Dragons (3-6) by four points early in the contest, but a 7-0 run put NYU in the lead for good.

The Violets went up by as many as 14 points in the first half before taking a 40-29 lead at halftime.   

NYU scored the first four points of the second half and eventually increased its lead to a game-high 23, 67-44, on Hayden Peek's layup with just under eight minutes to play.  

The Red Dragons scored the next 11 points to inch closer before Cinque Stephens' layup ended the run. 

The Violets never led by less than 13 the rest of the way.

NYU shot 50.8 percent (32-of-63) from the field, while holding Oneonta to just 33.3 percent (24-of-72). 

"Our guys took the challenge to play with the physicality that SUNY Oneonta plays with," said Assistant Coach Chris Thompson. "That's one of their strengths. But, we made them miss a lot of shots and we took care of the ball."

Spencer Freedman led four Violets in double figures with 18 points. Zay Freeney finished with 15, while Stephens and Michael Savarino each added 14.

In addition to the points being well-distributed, so were the assists (Freedman 9, Freeney 6, Hampton Sanders 5), and the rebounds (Emmanuel Onuama 7, Savarino 6, Freedman 5, Quinn Clark 5).

"Anyone on our team can step up on any given day," Thompson noted. "Not just in scoring, but assists and rebounds as well. As you see these types of contributions, it shows that we're playing the right way and that the players trust each other." 

The Violets return to the court for the beginning of University Athletic Association (UAA) play when they host Brandeis University on Saturday, January 6, at the Paulson Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:00pm.