DeCorso and Basford combined to bury 11 three-pointers, including a trifecta by Basford that gave NYU (6-0) a 65-59 lead with 3:03 remaining. Junior guard Charlie Parker canned two free throws at the 3:27 mark to put the Violets ahead 62-59. NYU used a 16-8 run to end the game.
“That was a big shot for Matt,” NYU head coach Joe Nesci noted. “He wasn’t getting a lot of looks in the second half.”
Stevens (3-3) used a 39-19 surge to climb back into the game after trailing 41-20, getting within 60-59 after Waleed Farid (team-high 18 points) converted an acrobatic lay-up with 3:43 left. Farid scored 16 of his points after intermission, while Anthony Passalacqua clicked for 12 of his 17 points over the final 20 minutes.
“They made some tough shots,” Nesci said.
Senior center Jason Boone finished with 11 points, 16 rebounds, five assists and four blocked shots while setting the NYU career record for blocks. Boone has now swatted away 154 shots in his storied career, surpassing the previous mark of 151 set by Rich Cowes from 1985-89.
NYU dominated the first 20 minutes, going 9-13 from downtown during the opening half, as DeCorso (5-5, 17 points) and Basford (4-5, 12 points) helped the Violets take a comfortable 39-20 lead into the locker room. In the first 20 minutes, NYU shot 57.7% from the field (15-26), while holding the Ducks to 25.0% shooting (8-32).
“We’re an inside-out team,” DeCorso said. “We focus on getting the ball down low. Teams realize that and leave Matt and I open, so we hit some big shots.”
Virgil Gray added 13 points for the Ducks, who shot 36.4% (24-66) from the floor and were outrebounded 46-32. However, Stevens did force 20 NYU turnovers and turned them into 19 points.
NYU resumes action Monday, December 11, when it travels to Brooklyn to face non-conference opponent Polytechnic University at 7 pm.
Newspaper Box Score Stevens Institute of Tech. vs New York University 12/4/06 7:00 pm at New York, NY/Coles Sports Center At New York, NY/Coles Sports Center NEW YORK UNIVERSITY 76, STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECH. 67 STEVENS INSTITUTE OF TECH. (3-3) FARID, Waleed 5-17 7-10 18; PASSALACQUA, Anthony 7-14 0-0 17; GRAY II, Virgil 5-11 0-2 13; PALANTINO, Damien 2-7 2-2 7; COLLINS, Michael 2-4 1-2 5; MORRIS, Floyd 2-6 0-0 4; AYODELE, Joseph 1-1 0-0 2; GRECO, George 0-1 1-2 1; WILLIAMS, Nathaniel 0-1 0-0 0; HIGGINS, Matt 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 24-66 11-18 67. NEW YORK UNIVERSITY (6-0) Basford, Matt 5-9 8-8 23; DeCorso, Michael 7-9 2-4 22; Boone, Jason 3-8 5-8 11; Parker, Charlie 2-4 2-2 6; Falcon, Daniel 3-7 0-2 6; Clark, Chael 2-4 0-0 4; Wilson, Matthew 1-5 0-0 2; Jensen, Keith 1-1 0-2 2; Magee, Michael 0-1 0-0 0; Kuba, Zach 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 24-49 17-26 76. Stevens Institute of Tech..... 20 47 - 67 New York University........... 39 37 - 76 3-point goals--Stevens Institute of Tech. 8-23 (PASSALACQUA, Anthony 3-6; GRAY II, Virgil 3-4; PALANTINO, Damien 1-5; FARID, Waleed 1-8), New York University 11-20 (DeCorso, Michael 6-6; Basford, Matt 5-7; Parker, Charlie 0-2; Wilson, Matthew 0-3; Magee, Michael 0-1; Kuba, Zach 0-1). Fouled out--Stevens Institute of Tech.-COLLINS, Michael, New York University-None. Rebounds--Stevens Institute of Tech. 32 (MORRIS, Floyd 5; COLLINS, Michael 5), New York University 46 (Boone, Jason 16). Assists--Stevens Institute of Tech. 6 (GRAY II, Virgil 2), New York University 20 (Boone, Jason 5; Parker, Charlie 5). Total fouls--Stevens Institute of Tech. 20, New York University 18. Technical fouls--Stevens Institute of Tech.-None, New York University-None. A-412