Carl Yaffe poured in a career-high 36 points to lead the 19th-ranked New York University men's basketball team to a 98-85 victory at University Athletic Association (UAA) foe Case Western Reserve University on Sunday, February 5, in Cleveland, OH.
Yaffe shot 13-20 from the field, 5-9 from three-point range and 5-7 from the line on a career day. His 36 points were the second-most by a Violet in the last 22 years (teammate Andy Stein had 37 on March 2 of last season). Yaffe's 36 also were the most by a Violet in UAA play since Rob Remhild netted 39 in a double-overtime game against Emory University on January 26, 1990.
Kyle Stockmal also had a big day for NYU (17-2, 7-2), scoring 23 points on 8-11 shooting, including 5-8 from beyond the arc. Yaffe's and Stockmal's combined 10 three-pointers and 59 points helped the Violets record season highs in threes (15) and points (98) while remaining in a tie for first place in the UAA with Washington University.
"I thought the guys did a great job of executing and taking what the defense gave us," said NYU head coach Joe Nesci. "We had a lot of unselfish play. The guys kept finding Carl, and he didn't force anything. He did a great job."
Though the Violets allowed a season-high 85 points to the Spartans (9-11, 1-8), the squad made a season-high-tying 13 steals and deflected numerous passes. Max Wein made a career-best six of those steals, while Yaffe and Ben Dorman combined to hold Case's Tom Summers to eight points two days after he scored 31. NYU also held the advantage on the glass, outrebounding the Spartans 35-31.
"Our defense was solid – Case is a very talented offensive team that can score the ball in a lot of ways," commented Nesci. "The other key is that we beat them on the boards, which is hard to do because they usually outrebound their opponents."
NYU controlled the first 10 minutes of the game both offensively and defensively. The Violets sank five triples and made four steals over that stretch to build a 14-point lead, 29-15.
Case, however, hung tough and responded with 22-11 run to pull to within three late in the half. Austin Fowler's three with less than 10 seconds left in the period made it a four-point game, but Cory Stockmal banked in a 30-foot buzzer beater to send NYU into the locker room up 51-44.
The Violets then carried that momentum into the second half, beginning the period on a 12-2 run during which Yaffe and Stein each scored five points. The lead swelled to 25 after back-to-back triples by Yaffe and Kyle Stockmal.
The Spartans then made a late 14-1 run to cut the deficit to 11 with 5:42 remaining, but a Yaffe three-point play quashed any threat of a comeback.
Yaffe added a team-leading seven rebounds to his 36 points. Wein added nine points and four rebounds to his six steals, while Ryan Tana recorded a career-high-tying eight assists. Dorman and Devin Karch both provided big boosts off the bench, with Dorman netting eight points (all in the first half) and Karch seven.
Dane McLoughlin led the Spartans with 15 points and nine boards while going 5-7 from three. Fowler finished with 14 points and six rebounds, while David Thompson (12 points), Julien Person (11 points) and Robert Scott (10 points) also scored in double figures.
NYU returns to the court on Tuesday for its final non-conference regular-season game of the season. The Violets host SUNY New Paltz on Tuesday, Feb. 7, at Coles at 7:00 pm.