The New York University men's basketball team returned to its winning ways on Monday night, December 30, defeating Immaculta University 66-48 at the Coles Sports Center in Manhattan. NYU is now 7-1 on the season.

"It's important after a long break like this to get back into a rhythm and I think we got that," said Head Coach Joe Nesci.

The Violets found themselves in a tight battle after one half of play, leading 29-27 heading into the break. NYU then outscored the Mighty Macs 37-21 in the second half to run away with the victory.

"In the second half we needed to be tougher with the basketball, a little stronger in the half court and continue to hold them to one shot, and I think we accomplished that," said Nesci.

The squad dominated in the paint and on second chance points, outscoring Immaculata 38-14 and 13-4, respectivley. In total, four Violets scored in double figures, and as a team NYU controlled the boards, outrebounding the Mighty Macs 40-24.

"Our rebounding and defense were key for us tonight," said Nesci. "Immaculata came into the game out-rebounding their opponents by 9.5 per game."

HIGHLIGHTS:

- Sophomore center Costis Gontikas tied his career-high with a game-high 21 points on 10-of-14 shooting.

- Freshman forward Alec Papesch had his best game as a collegian, recording his first-career double-double. He scored a career-high 12 points while pulling down a career-best 13 boards.

- Senior co-captain guard Ryan Tana dropped in 11 points with seven boards and six assists.

- Sophomore forward Evan Kupferberg rounded out the Violets to score in double figures, chipping in 10 points despite being in foul trouble all game.

The Violets will be back in action this weekend when they host the annual NYU Holiday Classic from Friday to Saturday, January 3-4 at Coles. NYU will meet Clarkson University in its first game on Friday, with tip-off scheduled for 6:00 p.m.