Pleasantville, N.Y., Feb. 17, 2017 – Junior Andrew Sanders scored 21 points and junior David Schmelter added a season-high 17 to lead the No. 7-ranked Washington University in St. Louis men's basketball team to a 91-66 win at New York University Friday on the campus of Pace University in Pleasantville, N.Y.
WashU improved to 19-4, 11-1 in the University Athletic Association (UAA), while New York fell to 7-16, 2-10 in the UAA. The Bears hold a one-game lead over the University Rochester in the UAA standings with two games remaining.
Sanders was 9-of-14 from the field as he went over the 20-point plateau for the 14th time in his career, while Schmelter 7-of-10 from the field and added seven rebounds. Juniors Matt Highsmith and Jake Knupp added 10 points each off the bench.
Junior point guard Kevin Kucera dished out a career-high 12 assists and added eight points and six rebounds. With the 12 assists, Kucera moved into a tie for 10th on the all-time WashU list with 287.
WashU shot 50.6 percent (39-77) from the field, and hit a season-high 92.3 percent (12-13) from the free-throw line. The Bears also had 26 assists and just six turnovers, and had a 20-2 advantage in second-chance points.
WashU hit six of its first nine shots from the field and led 13-5 in the opening four minutes of play. Schmelter had six points on 3-of-4 shooting. NYU trimmed the lead to 29-27 behind 13 points from Jimmy Martinelli.
The Bears ended the half on a 22-5 run to take a 51-32 advantage. Schmelter had nine points during the run, including a two-handed flush with 4:09 before half.
Sanders led the Bears with 14 points, while Schmelter tied his season-high in the first half with 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting. WashU shot 55 percent (22-of-40) from the field and had 17 assists and just one turnover in the opening half.
WashU led 61-43 with 15:30 to play, but WashU put the game out of reach with a 13-2 run that concluded with a bucket by sophomore Marcus Meyer.
Martinelli and Ross Udine each scored a game-high 19 points for New York, who was 12-of-35 from three-point range.
WashU plays its final road game of the regular season Sunday, Feb. 19, at Brandeis University (7-15, 3-9 UAA). Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. (ET).
BEAR NOTEBOOK: WashU leads the all-time series with NYU, 45-15 and swept the season series between the two teams … Sanders has scored in double figures in 21 of 23 games played … The Violets have lost 10 of their last 11 games … WashU is 8-0 this season and have won their last 10 games played on Fridays … The Bears are 11-1 away from home this season, and its 10 wins on its opponents' home floor this season are third most in NCAA Division III.