Hakeem Harris scored a career-high 28 points, 19 in the second half, as the New York University men's basketball team defeated Emory University 96-92 in a wild and crazy University Athletic Association (UAA) game on Sunday, February 1, at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.

During a first half in which there were six lead changes, nine ties and neither team led by more than six points,Costis Gontikas's layup with 29 seconds left gave NYU a 38-36 advantage at halftime, a lead it would never relinquish.

The Violets (13-5, 4-3), ranked #23 (D3hoops.com), boosted that lead to 13 on several occasions in the second half.

However, Emory (14-4, 4-3), ranked #12, launched a serious comeback and pulled to within one, 91-90, on Davis Rao's three-pointer with 29 seconds left.

Ross Udine then connected on two free throws for NYU, but the Eagles again pulled within one on Michael Florin's layup with 22 seconds remaining.

Udine followed with another free throw before Emory's Jonathan Terry missed on a three-point attempt.

Harris grabbed the rebound, was fouled, and added one more point to the Violets' lead.

Emory did not score again and Evan Kupferberg added one more free throw with five seconds left to clinch the NYU victory.

"Emory plays up-tempo and can score quick," said NYU Senior Assistant Coach John Pelin. "They made some shots, but we stuck with it and made our free throws down the stretch."

HIGHLIGHTS (THERE WERE MANY):

- Harris also went 11-of-13 from the foul line, connecting on four in the last minute. He also had a career-high five steals, four assists, two rebounds, and a blocked shot.

"Hakeem gives us a great outside threat," Pelin explained. "We have Evan, Costis and Alec to give us a great presence on the inside and to have someone that can score outside, as well, gives us pretty good balance. He's aggressive, he's confident and when he starts making shots, it lifts the whole team."

- Five Violets scored in double figures as NYU reached its highest point total of the season. 

"We know how good Emory is and how much they can score," Pelin added. "We're not going to beat them 52-50 or anything like that, but more like the game you saw today." 

- Kupferberg finished with 17 points (8-of-12 FG) and a game-high 15 rebounds. Gontikas also registered a double-double with 15 points and 11 rebounds. 

- Udine contributed 10 points and Iyoha Agho had 11, including 3-of-5 from three-point land. Udine also had a team-high six assists. 

- Florin finished with 17 points, 14 assists and four steals for Emory, while Terry had a team-high 23 points.

The Violets return to the court on Friday, February 6, when they face the University of Rochester in Rochester, NY. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00 pm with live stats, live video and live radio available.