In a battle of nationally ranked top five teams, the fifth-ranked Case Western Reserve University men's basketball team defeated fourth-ranked New York University 94-76 on Friday night at Horsburgh Gymnasium in Cleveland.

The Spartans improved to 12-1 overall and evened their University Athletic Association record at 1-1. The Violets dropped to 11-2 on the season and 1-1 in conference play, suffering their first loss since November 12, 2023.

Graduate student guard Anthony Mazzeo led all scorers with 27 points, including 19 in the second half of the contest, shooting 10-of-17 from the field and four-of-six from 3-point range. Mazzeo has scored at least 20 points in six games this season, including three of his last four contests.

Three additional Spartans scored in double figures, with graduate student forward Colin Kahl adding 12 points (five-of-11 from the field) with five rebounds, junior forward Umar Rashid contributing 11 points (four-of-seven) and a team-high seven rebounds, and graduate student guard Richie Manigault adding 11 points (four-of-nine) of his own. Junior guard Sam Trunley came off the bench to contribute to all aspects of the game, leading the Spartans with six assists, scoring seven points (three-of-seven), and adding three rebounds.

The teams battled early in the contests with senior guard Luke Thorburn tying the score at 14 with a layup five minutes into the game. Thorburn scored nine points in the game, making all four of his shots. Following a timeout, NYU used a 10-5 run to take a five-point lead, its largest of the game. A Rashid 3-pointer brought the Spartans within two, igniting a 16-2 run over the next four minutes that put the hosts ahead for the remainder of the night.

The Violets cut the deficit to five, 40-35, with four minutes left in the first half, but a quick 7-0 gave the Spartans a 12-point advantage. The teams traded layups before an NYU free throw with two seconds remaining made the halftime score 49-38.

An 8-0 run early in the second half gave the Spartans a 57-40 lead, and the hosts maintained a double-digit advantage for the rest of the game, leading by as many as 19 points in the final three minutes of action.

Overall, Case Western Reserve shot 53.0% from the field, including a 48.4% mark from beyond the arc, while NYU made 51.8% of its shots but just 37.5% from 3-point range.  

CWRU will conclude its first full conference weekend by hosting Brandeis (1-1 UAA) on Sunday at 11 a.m.