NYU Holds off Carnegie for OT Victory

More news about: New York University

NYU 92 Carnegie 86 (OT)

The New York University basketball team earned its second straight victory, the fourth in its last five games, on Friday night, February 7, at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan. The Violets staved off a barage of three-pointers by Carnegie Mellon University and walked away with the 92-86 win in overtime.

NYU (14-5, 4-4 University Athletic Association) earned the victory by controlling the paint once again, outscoring the Tartans (10-9, 3-5 UAA) 42-24 down low. In addition, the Violets held the advantage on the boards, outrebounding Carnegie Mellon 41-31.

It was a tight contest throughout, as NYU led by just two, 36-34, at halftime. Then, with the clock running down at the end of the second half, the Tartans were able to tie the game with a three pointer and force overtime.

"Every UAA game is tough, but we showed a great amount of resiliency to hang in there and do what we needed to win the game," said Assistant Coach Nelson Albino.

In the extra period, the Violets took control and outscored Carnegie Mellon 15-9 to hold on for the victory. NYU has now swept the season series with the Tartans and lead the all-time series 39-17.

HIGHLIGHTS:

- Sophomore forward Evan Kupferberg led the Violets with a team-high 27 points along with seven rebounds, two assists and a steal. In addition, Kupferberg sunk the winning layup with 42 seconds remaining in overtime and finished the three-point play the old fashion way. Overall, the sophomore finished a perfect 9-of-9 shooting from the field.

"We are a very resiliant team and we were tough down the stretch," said Kupferberg.

- Senior co-captain guard Ryan Tana and junior guard Iyoha Agho each chipped in 14 points. Tana added seven assists, four rebounds and two steals. Agho had two rebounds and a block, and was 4-of-8 from beyond the arc.

- Sophomore center Costis Gontikas also scored in double-figures, registering 11 points, seven rebounds and a block.

- Sophomore Patrick Burns had nine points, five rebounds, three assists, and one steal, while sophomore Max Ralby registered eight points, three rebounds, three assists, and a steal.

"It seemed that Carnegie hit big shot after big shot, but we didn't hang our heads and came back to win," Albino said. "It was a great college basketball game."

The Violets will be back in action when they return to Coles on Sunday afternoon, February 9, to host Case Western Reserve University for a scheduled 12:00 pm tip.