The New York University men's basketball team opened its 2024-25 season with an 86-74 victory over Babson College in the first round of the NYU Tip-Off Classic on Saturday, November 9, at the John A. Paulson Center in Manhattan.
Featuring a line-up of several new faces, it was senior
Zay Freeney who helped lead the Violets to victory with 16 points, including the 1,000th of his NYU career.
"This is truly a blessing," said Freeney, who became the 33rd player in team history to reach 1,000. "I came in as a freshman and my first coach, Dagan Nelson, showed a lot of confidence in me. This shows the dedication and all the hard work I've put in, and I appreciate all the support from my teammates, coaches and family."
The Violets trailed at halftime, 39-37, and were behind 44-41 when back-to-back three-pointers from Freeney and newcomer
Jack Stone gave NYU a lead it would never relinquish.
Freeney's next three-pointer with 14:24 remaining put him over the 1,000-point plateau. When another newbie,
Chuma Oyigbo, connected on a trey with 10:53 left, the Violets took their then-biggest lead of the contest, 67-54.
The Beavers used a 12-2 run to pull to within three at 69-66, but never got any closer as the Violets went ahead by as many as 14 points.
"We were able to add some talented new players, and we emphasized in the preseason that they need to play together," explained Head Coach
Dave Klatsky. "Now we will have different stars each game."
Hampton Sanders led the Violets with 19 points. Stone also had 16 points, with
Emmanuel Onuama chipping in with 15 and a team-high nine rebounds.
Tristan How, making his NYU debut, collected eight rebounds. Sanders added another six rebounds along with five assists. Freeney also contributed five assists.
"It was great to see the balance we had offensively," Klatsky added. "And, on the other end we have a chance, with the physicality and athleticism we have, to be a very strong defensive team."
The Violets are back at the Paulson Center tomorrow when they host Rowan University at 4:00pm in their second game of the NYU Tip-Off Classic.
