Visiting New York University used a strong second half to battle past the University of Rochester men's basketball team 81-64 on Sunday afternoon at the Palestra.
NYU (16-8, 6-7 UAA) combined to outscore the Yellowjackets (9-15, 3-10 UAA) by 19 points in the second half backed by a stout shooting performance. The Violets made 63% (17-27) shots in the second period, including hitting six of 10 from behind the arc.
The Yellowjackets closed the first half with a 12-3 run to head into the locker room with a two point lead at 34-32. Senior Nate Vernon gave UR its first lead of the game when he hit a long 3-pointer from the left wing just before the first half buzzer sounded. He finished with 15 points on the day and now has 1,074 points in his career.
NYU rushed out of the locker room, scoring 14 of the first 19 points of the second half just four minutes in, giving the visitors a seven point edge at 46-39.
Rochester would respond though, rattling off a 10-2 spurt of its own, regaining the lead at 49-48 with a Sam Borst-Smith layup with 12:22 on the clock. The freshman scored 14 points for the 'Jackets off the bench.
That lead would be UR's last though as a 7-1 run over the next minute and 30 seconds put the Violets up for the remainder of the game. Two Ryan Tana 3-pointers then kickstarted a 13-4 run that pushed NYU's lead up to double digits with just 5:15 remaining. The senior would lead all scorers in the game with 24 points, including going a perfect 5-for-5 from long range. Big men Evan Kupferberg and Costis Gontikas also scored in double-figures for the Violets scoring 16 and 15 points respectively.
Besides Vernon and Borst Smith leading UR in scoring, junior Tyler Sankes scored 12 points off the bench.
As a team, Rochester shot just 40% for the game, going 18-45 while making six treys. NYU ended at 49% (30-61) while making 10 three's in the contest. On the glass, NYU grabbed 35 rebounds, including 10 offensive while UR cleaned up 29 boards.
The Yellowjackets conclude their season next Saturday (3/1) against UAA travel partner Emory University. Before the start of the men's game at noon UR's lone senior, Nate Vernon, will be recognized for his four years of stellar play on the court.