The #2-ranked New York University men's basketball team inched closer to a second consecutive University Athletic Association (UAA) title with a 82-79 win over Emory University on Friday, February 14, Atlanta, GA. 

The Violets have now taken a two-game lead atop the UAA standings with four games remaining. 

Neither team was able to to score for the first two minutes of the game before Jack Stone drilled a three-pointer just under the 18-minute mark for the first bucket of the evening. After that, the Violets led for the remainder of the first half.

With NYU up 18-15, the Violets used a 13-1 run to increase the lead to 15. Having led by as much as 17 in the first half, NYU took a 45-33 advantage into the break.

Less than four minutes into the second frame, the #5-ranked Eagles closed the gap to 48-42. Emory continued to chip away, as it got to within four by the 15-minute mark. However, back-to-back three-pointers from Chuma Oyigbo gave the Violets a double-digit lead again. 

After NYU took a 68-59 lead, a 9-2 run by Eagles made it a two-point game. Though the Violets gained breathing room with a 74-70 edge, Emory outscored NYU 7-2 over the next minute-and-a-half for its first lead of the night. 

"We knew Emory would have a run in them," said Head Coach Dave Klatsky. "They are too good a team to roll over at home."

Two possessions later, Hampton Sanders drilled a shot from beyond the arc to put the Violets back in front. 

Emmanuel Onuama then came up with a crucial block on the Eagles' ensuing possession, after which Sanders drove through the lane for a layup. Emory had a chance to tie the tilt, down 81-79, but missed both of its free throws before Zay Freeney was able to come up with the rebound.

"In a game like this, sometimes it comes down to making big plays," added Klatsky. "Hampton Sanders was able to do that on offense and Big E was able to have a huge block on defense. Those couple of plays put us over the top."

Following an intentional foul by the Eagles, Freeney split his free throw attempts, giving Emory a chance to send the game to overtime. However, Jair Knight's shot from distance drew iron, sealing the win for NYU. 

Freeney scored a game-high 21 points on 8-of-9 shooting from the field, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Tristan How fell one point shy of his ninth double-double of the season with nine points and 11 boards. 

"This was a huge win for us," said Freeney. "It took a full 40 minutes from everyone on the team. Our resilience in the second half was second to none. Emory is a very talented team and we knew it would take executing the details to win on the road."

The Violets return to the court on Sunday, February 16, and will face the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY, at 2:00pm.