With all five starters in double figures and clutch free-throw shooting down the stretch, the 21st-ranked New York University men's basketball team held off The College at Old Westbury 80-76 on Wednesday, December 5, at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan.
 
Carl Yaffe (20 points, 12 rebounds) and Max Wein (career highs of 14 points and 11 boards) led the way with double-doubles. With the victory, the Violets (5-1) got back on the winning track after suffering their first defeat of the season two nights earlier.
 
Highlights
 
- NYU took its largest lead of the game with 1:33 left in the first half, going up 37-26 on a Ryan Tana steal and coast-to-coast finish. However, the Panthers (4-2) cut the halftime deficit to six after Rashawn McCarthy banked in a 35-foot runner at the buzzer.
 
- Old Westbury kept the momentum going early in the second half, eventually taking the lead at 56-55 with 8:59 to play. The Violets responded with a 10-0 run, with three-pointers from Yaffe and Kyle Stockmal, to go back up nine.
 
- The Panthers repeatedly kept it a one-possession game in the final minutes, but the Violets did their part at the free-throw line to never let the lead slip away. Yaffe, Stockmal, Karch, Tana, and Wein combined to go 13-17 at the line over the final 1:39 to seal the victory.
 
- For the game, NYU went 24-30 (80%) from the charity stripe and outrebounded Old Westbury 50-31, holding the Panthers to just nine offensive boards.
 
- Stockmal finished with 16 points, four assists and a career-high six steals. Tana had 14 points, five rebounds and four steals, while Karch recorded 13 points, five boards and four assists.
 
"We needed to be a little bit more poised with the ball, but we did a good job making our free throws down the stretch," said Head Coach Joe Nesci. "We left it all out there."
 
NYU returns to the court for a Top 25 showdown against cross-river rival Stevens Institute of Technology on Sunday, December 9. Tip-off between the #21 Violets and #25 Ducks is at 2:00 pm, with the Alumni Game to take place beforehand at noon.