Michael Savarino poured in a career-high 24 points while Spencer Freedman had 23 and 13 assists as New York University's men's basketball team picked up a 91-77 victory over SUNY Old Westbury at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility on Monday night.

The Violets remained undefeated at 6-0 on the season, but trailed at the half for the first time all year.

"They played way harder and more aggressive than us in the first half," said head coach Dave Klatsky. "As a coach it was great, because we finally got to see how we would respond. I talked a bit about approach (at halftime) and how we need to approach every practice, every game with the same mentality, with that chip that we had the first five games. It was great to see these guys on the other side compete and us respond and get the win."

Savarino scored the first points of the game on a long-range jumper, but Old Westbury tied the score at 9-9 after Chris Smith's bucket at 16:58. The Violets responded with seven straight points to go back on top and maintained a slim lead for the next nine minutes of play.

The Panthers fought back, however, taking a 31-30 edge after Jordan Johnson-Rader's layup with 5:46 on the clock. OW led for the remainder of the half with a pair of late Freedman free throws bringing NYU within two, 41-39, at the break.

Back-and-forth play continued as there were five ties and six lead changes over the first 13-and-a-half minutes of the second half. But, Savarino's triple with 6:27 remaining put NYU up for good.

"Our offense. It wasn't our defense, our offense is really good. Guys made plays," Klatsky said of what enabled the Violets to turn things around in the second half. "When we get good looks they'll eventually fall. Towards the end we weren't just getting threes, we were getting layups.

"We had trouble getting stops, they exposed our lack of size and strength. They had a couple guys that were way stronger than us, but just because someone's stronger than you doesn't mean you should lose the battle. It just means that you have to use your brain a little more to win that battle."

The Violets closed the game on a 21-10 run after Savarino's go-ahead three-pointer, creating enough separation for the team's sixth double-digit victory in as many outings.

Savarino shot 8-of-13 from the floor and 6-of-11 from deep for his game-high 24 points, adding four rebounds, a block and a steal.

Freedman continued his hot shooting, going 7-of-11 from the field and 5-of-8 from distance for his third 20-plus scoring output of the season. His 13 assists were a career high, earning him his first career double-double, along with four boards and two steals.

Zay Freeney, who was recently named University Athletic Association (UAA) Athlete of the Week, added 16 points, six rebounds, two steals and an assist.

Nikola Lipovic, making his first start of the season, contributed 10 points, five boards, three takeaways and a block.

Quinn Clark nearly had a double-double of his own, finishing with eight points, nine rebounds, two assists and a block.

NYU had 23 assists on 32 made field goals, shooting 46.4 percent (32-of-69) from the floor and 37.5 percent (15-of-40) from three-point range.

The Violets return to action on Thursday, December 1, hosting defending Skyline Conference champion Yeshiva University at the Brooklyn Athletic Facility. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.