The New York University men's basketball team took just its second loss of the season in a 73-71 defeat to the University of St. Joseph (CT) on Saturday, January 3, in West Hartford, CT.

After the Violets led by as much as 13 on the afternoon, the Blue Jays came back to take the lead late in the second half.

A St. Joseph layup with the score tied at 71-71 and one second left in regulation proved to be the winning bucket. 

Neither team could miss from the field in the early stages of the first half, as the Violets held an 11-10 edge through the game's opening four minutes.

With St. Joseph up 20-19 with just over 10 minutes remaining in the frame, the Blue Jays scored four straight points to extend their lead to five.

Down 30-26 three minutes later, NYU used a 7-0 run to regain the lead. Carnegie Johnson accounted for seven points in the final five minutes of the half, pushing the Violets to a 36-31 advantage at the break.  

Right out of the locker room, NYU continued to build on its lead, going up by 13 by the 14-minute mark of the second half. After an Alex Daniels three-pointer put the Violets up 58-46, St. Joseph cut the deficit to three with a 9-0 run.

Later in front 65-60 with five minutes left in the game, NYU went scoreless for over three minutes while the Blue Jays scored seven straight points to flip the scoreboard.

St. Joseph pushed its advantage to 71-68 with under one minute remaining, but Daniels made a clutch shot from beyond the arc to even the score.

On their final possession of the afternoon, the Blue Jays brought the clock down to one second before scoring from inside the paint. The Violets were unable to get a shot off on the other end and took the loss. 

Four NYU players reached double figures in scoring, led by Daniels with 14 points on 4-of-7 shooting from the field, all of which were three-pointers. Johnson dished out six assists, while Darren Rubin pulled down six rebounds, both of which were team-highs. 

The Violets have now wrapped up their non-conference schedule with a 9-2 record and will continue their season on the road against Brandeis University for their University Athletic Association (UAA) opener. The contest is scheduled for Saturday, January 10, at 1:00pm in Waltham, MA.