Andy Stein scored his 1,000th career point and the New York University men's basketball team bounced back from its first loss of the season as the Violets defeated Hunter College 84-62 on Tuesday, January 10, at the Hunter Sportsplex in Manhattan.
 
Stein entered the game needing just three points to become the 27th player in school history to reach 1,000. After draining a jumper 2:12 into the contest, the 6-8 center nailed a three-pointer at the 11:49 mark of the first half to reach the career milestone.
 
"I'm tremendously proud of Andy and his accomplishment of scoring 1,000 points," said NYU head coach Joe Nesci. "But I'm even more proud of the leader and student-athlete he's become. He has grown tremendously over the last four years."
 
Though Stein's accomplishment was the focus of the opening stages of the game, it was fellow 6-8 big man Carl Yaffe who stole the show early on. Yaffe scored 10 of the Violets' (10-1) first 16 points, helping the squad build a 16-8 lead.
 
The Hawks (6-7) pulled to within three, however, before Stein's history-making triple. That shot then sparked a huge run, as NYU went on a 22-3 spurt – during which Ryan Tana, Kyle Stockmal and Ben Dorman also hit threes – to take a commanding 38-16 lead with 5:06 left in the first half.
 
Stein then scored the Violets' final six points of the period, finishing the half with 17. He and Yaffe combined for 27, just one point less than Hunter, as NYU took a 49-28 advantage into the locker room. The 49 first-half points matched the Violets' entire total in their previous game, a 52-49 setback against University Athletic Association (UAA) rival Brandeis University, as they shot a scorching 64.5% (20-31) from the floor in the period.
 
"I thought our offense was great," commented Nesci on the first-half performance. "That rebuilds confidence after a tough offensive game. It's good to see shots going into the basket."
 
Not quite as many shots went into the basket for the Violets in the second half, as their percentage dipped to 33.3% (11-33), but they used their defense and a few key plays to never let their lead drop below 17 in the period.
 
Cory Stockmal shined for NYU in the half, scoring eight points, half of which came on a four-point play. Stein and Yaffe also connected for a highlight-reel play, as Stein passed to a cutting Yaffe in the lane and the junior threw down a monstrous one-handed dunk.
 
Stein led the Violets with 22 points, eight rebounds and four assists. Yaffe totaled 15 points, six boards and three helpers, while both Cory and Kyle Stockmal netted eight points apiece.
 
Joel Cerda scored a team-best 15 points for Hunter, while Panagiotis Koutsokloukas recorded 13 points and eight rebounds. Anthony Uter tallied eight points and seven boards.
 
NYU returns to action on Friday when it hosts one of the top-ranked teams in the country in UAA play at the Coles Sports Center. The Violets will face #4 Emory University at 8:00 pm.