DeCorso poured in 21 points, while senior Jason Boone recorded 22 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks for his 13th double-double as the Violets (19-5, 8-5 UAA) persevered over the Eagles (8-16, 2-11 UAA) despite blowing a 15-point second-half lead.
In addition to secure its first above-.500 finish in the UAA since going 8-6 in 2003-04, NYU strengthened its case for earning its first invitation to the NCAA Division III Men’s Basketball Championship since 1998. Ranked #20 by D3Hoops.com, the Violets remain in a third-place tie in the UAA standings with Brandeis University and the University of Rochester.
Junior Spiros Ferderigos dropped in a game-high 27 points for the Eagles.
It appeared that the Violets would win this one without any white knuckles, taking a 52-37 lead after Boone knocked down a pair from the charity stripe with 11:27 remaining. As it was, NYU held Emory without a field goal for a stretch of 7:12 spanning the end of the first half and the beginning of the second half.
However, Emory would not go quietly. The Eagles scored 11 straight points to pull within 52-48 before DeCorso converted a lay-up with 7:33 remaining to push the lead back to six points at 54-48.
Emory scored 11 of the next 14 points, though, going ahead when senior Adrian Sosa (16 points) canned a foul-line jumper to make it 59-57 with 3:53 remaining. NYU was down 61-58 before junior floor general Charlie Parker canned a triple off a Boone screen to make it 61-all with 2:48 remaining.
Sosa hit two free throws with 1:52 remaining to put the Eagles ahead 63-61, but that simply set the stage for a fantastic finish by the Violets.
NYU’s closing spurt started with DeCorso’s dagger from beyond the arc, and continued with the Violets going 5-8 from the foul line in the final minute. It also included a key steal by Boone with 35.7 seconds remaining after the senior went 1-2 from the stripe to put NYU ahead 65-63. Parker converted a pair with 27.1 seconds left to make it 67-63 and essentially ice the game.
Senior Barry Corrado had 14 points and 13 rebounds for Emory.
Thanks to Boone, the Violets created some distance late in the first half. The senior big man powered an 8-1 run to close the half, scoring six of his 14 first-half points off two strong drives and a thunderous follow-up dunk. Meanwhile, he and his teammates held Emory without a field goal for the final 5:12 of the opening stanza, forcing five misses and a turnover, to take a 38-29 advantage into the locker room.
NYU closes out its regular season on Saturday, Feb. 24, when it hosts Brandeis at 3 pm at the Jerome S. Coles Sports Center in New York. Brandeis won the previous meeting between the teams 52-48 on Jan. 13 in Waltham, Massachusetts.
Prior to the game, the Violets will honor their five seniors: shooting guard Matt Basford, Boone, power forwards Chael Clark and Daniel Falcon, and DeCorso.
Newspaper Box Score #20 New York University vs Emory University 02-18-07 12:00 p.m. at Atlanta, GA (Woodruff P.E. Center) At Atlanta, GA (Woodruff P.E. Center) #20 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY 69, EMORY UNIVERSITY 66 #20 NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (19-5 (8-5 UAA)) Boone, Jason 8-10 6-11 22; DeCorso, Michael 7-15 3-5 21; Parker, Charlie 4-6 4-4 14; Clark, Chael 2-3 1-2 5; Falcon, Daniel 2-4 1-2 5; Magee, Michael 1-4 0-2 2; Kuba, Zach 0-1 0-0 0; Basford, Matt 0-4 0-0 0; Wilson, Matthew 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 24-49 15-26 69. EMORY UNIVERSITY (8-16 (2-11 UAA)) Ferderigos, Spiros 7-14 9-9 27; Sosa, Adrian 5-12 6-8 16; Corrado, Barry 6-13 2-4 14; Pinto, Johnny 3-10 0-0 6; Rowlett, Brandon 1-3 0-0 2; Bailey, Shawn 0-3 1-2 1; Ford-Carther, Alex 0-0 0-0 0; Lockett, Greg 0-0 0-1 0; Kresse, John 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-55 18-24 66. #20 New York University....... 38 31 - 69 Emory University.............. 29 37 - 66 3-point goals--#20 New York University 6-16 (DeCorso, Michael 4-9; Parker, Charlie 2-3; Kuba, Zach 0-1; Basford, Matt 0-3), Emory University 4-14 (Ferderigos, Spiros 4-7; Sosa, Adrian 0-4; Pinto, Johnny 0-3). Fouled out--#20 New York University-None, Emory University-None. Rebounds--#20 New York University 34 (Boone, Jason 12), Emory University 31 (Corrado, Barry 13). Assists--#20 New York University 16 (Boone, Jason 4; Parker, Charlie 4), Emory University 12 (Ferderigos, Spiros 5). Total fouls--#20 New York University 16, Emory University 18. Technical fouls--#20 New York University-None, Emory University-None. A-221