ROCHESTER, N.Y. – John DiBartolomeo made a layup and four free throws in the closing seconds as the University of Rochester held off 16th-ranked New York University, 62-53, at the Louis Alexander Palestra.
It was Rochester's fourth win this season over a regionally-ranked team. NYU is ranked #3 in the East Region by the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Committee. The Violets defeated Rochester, 74-50, when the teams played in New York City on January 15.
Rochester improved to 15-7 overall, 6-5 in the University Athletic Association. NYU is 18-4 overall, 7-4 in the UAA. The Violets are tied for second with Emory. Both teams are two games behind Washington. Rochester, Brandeis, and Chicago are all tied for fourth place at 6-5.
DiBartolomeo finished with 13 points and eight assists. Chris Dende scored 12 points, grabbed eight rebounds, and made two steals. Tyler Seidman scored 11 points, including three three-point field goals. Rochester shot 43% for the game (23-53), 54.5% in the second half (12-22).
Andy Stein scored 17 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and had three assists for NYU. Kyle Stockmal scored 10 points and made a pair of three-pointers. The Violets shot 41.7% from the field (20-48) and 30.4% outside the arc (7-23). NYU undid itself at the foul line, making just six of 16 free throw attempts.
Rochester opened the second half on a 20-4 run to stretch a 28-26 halftime lead to 48-30 with 11:37 left. DiBartolomeo scored six points in the run and Dende added four.
NYU rallied. Back to back layups from Stein and a three-pointer by Max Wein cut the deficit to 11, 50-39, within three minutes. Dende made a layup and Seidman hit a runner in the lane for a 54-39 edge before NYU ran off 10 straight points and 13 of the next 15: Stein made one free throw, then hit a jumper. Ryan Tana stole the ball at midcourt and drove for a layup. Carl Yaffe hit a three-pointer and Wein finished the burst with a layup.
DiBartolomeo drove the lane and fed Rob Reid for a dunk with 2:58 left. Yaffe sank his second three-pointer of the game, this one with 1:15 left to bring the Violets within 56-52.
In the last minute, DiBartolomeo's layup made it a six-point game. Stein sank one foul shot. The as the Violets were forced to foul, DiBartolomeo made two free throws with 38 seconds left and two more with six seconds remaining after an NYU turnover.