Chicago’s Brandon Whitehead (18 points), who hit a three-pointer to pull the Maroons within 77-76 with 9.0 seconds remaining, saw a potential game-tying trifecta clang off the iron as time expired.
Senior Michael DeCorso tallied 20 points for NYU (16-4, 5-4 UAA), which avenged a 62-60 loss against Chicago (16-4, 7-2 UAA) on Jan. 26 in the Windy City. The Maroons entered the game tied for first place in the UAA with Washington University.
Chicago is ranked #19 in the D3hoops.com Top 25, while NYU is #25.
Junior guard Charlie Parker (15 points, nine assists) hit two free-throw attempts with 7.5 seconds left to give the Violets a 79-76 lead. This came after Woodhead canned one of the Maroons’ 13 three-pointers with 9.0 seconds remaining to pull his squad within 77-76 after trailing by as many as 13 early in the second half.
NYU got off to an auspicious start, seizing an 8-0 lead 2:29 into the game as senior Daniel Falcon (11 points, seven boards) scored six of his points. Chicago heated up from beyond the three-point arc though and steadily chipped away the Violets’ advantage, pulling with 30-29 just 4:26 before intermission on a triple by Woodhead.
However, Parker netted five of his 10 first-half points during a 10-0 spurt to cap the first half as NYU took a 40-29 lead into the locker room. DeCorso nailed five trifectas in the first 20 minutes to lead all scorers with 15 points, as the Violets shot 51.7% (15-29) overall. This included a 58.3% (7-12) success rate beyond the arc.
Nate Hainje led Chicago with 19 points, while Jesse Meyer netted 14 and Jake Pancratz added 11 in 19 minutes off the bench.
Senior Chael Clark scored 10 points off the pine for NYU, which saw only six players break into the scoring column, with five reaching double digits.
NYU shot 54.0% (27-50), including 47.1% (8-17) beyond the arc.
Chicago shot 39.3% (24-61), but 40.6% (13-32) from long distance and 75.0% (15-20) at the charity stripe.
NYU returns to action Friday, Feb. 9, when it hosts UAA rival the University of Rochester at 8 pm. The Violets will be vying for a season-sweep of the Yellowjackets: They scored a 70-61 overtime victory on Jan. 7 in Rochester as Boone tallied a season-high 26 points.