No. 25 NYU Posts UAA Road Win at CWRU
The New York University men's basketball team, currently ranked #25 in the nation, defeated Case Western Reserve University 89-75 on Friday in Cleveland.
In the University Athletic Association (UAA) match-up, Case Western Reserve's Alex Vincent scored the game's first basket. But, the Violets countered with the next 15, six coming on a pair of Luke Kolaja three-pointers.
NYU (14-5, 5-3) led by double-digits for the remainder of the game.
Carnegie Johnson's bucket gave the Violets their biggest lead of the first half, 28-6, with 9:05 remaining.
The Spartans (9-10, 1-7) pulled within 43-32 before Darius Gakwasi's drive gave NYU a 45-32 halftime advantage.
Kolaja finished the first half with 14 points, connecting on 4-of-5 three-pointers. The Violets shot 59.4 percent (19-of-32) from the field over the first 20 minutes, while the Spartans were held to 32.3 percent (10-of-31).
The Violets scored the first six points of the second half and took a game-high 24-point lead, 67-43, on Henry Bickford's three-pointer with 8:34 remaining.
The lead was reduced to 12 points, 80-68, with 2:16 left, but the Spartans never got closer.
"We came out and set the tone defensively," said Head Coach Waleed Farid. "Offensively, we got into a rhythm, and the guys moved the ball well. Lots of contributions from the starters and the bench."
Kolaja led the Violets with 22 points.
Quinn Clark scored a season-high 20 points, including 8-of-9 from the foul line. He and Johnson both grabbed a team-high nine rebounds.
Johnson (11) and Gakwasi (10) also scored in double figures.