The teams battled to a standstill through the majority of the first half. Junior Scott Stone and senior Anthony Hollins each scored six early points to lead WU to a 19-14 lead at the midway point of the half. However, the Violets rallied to tie the score at 25-25 when sophomore Michael DeCorso connected from beyond the arc at the left wing.
The Bears converted on back-to-back dunks to bring the crowd to its feet. Junior Calvin Williams stole the ball and dribbled length of the floor for a one-handed jam. Hollins then registered a two-handed alley-oop dunk on a backdoor play, but NYU (13-6, 3-5 UAA) held the lead (34-29) as halftime approached. The Violets closed the half on a 12-5 run and led 37-30 at the break.
NYU, which won its first game at the WU Field House in 18 attempts, held an 11-2 advantage on the offensive glass in the opening stanza. The 11 offensive boards resulted in a 13-0 advantage in second-chance points. Sophomore Jason Boone notched seven points and four rebounds, and junior Jimmy Janeczek added a team-high eight points for NYU. Hollins paced the Bears with eight points, while Williams and freshman Troy Ruths contributed five points apiece off the bench.
The Violets extended their lead to 10 points (47-37) in the opening minutes of the second half, but WU trimmed the lead to six after Hollins scored a on reverse lay-up along the baseline. NYU pushed ahead to 56-44 with 10:26 to play, but WU went on a 6-0 run to force an NYU timeout. Ruths scored the first four points of the run—two at the charity stripe and two on a transition lay-up—and sophomore Brandon York added the other basket on a runner in the lane.
After the break, Ruths drew another foul in the paint and hit the front end of a one-and-one situation. The Bears corralled the rebound and Ruths made good on a tip-in to draw within three points (56-53). The Bears earned another defensive stop and Williams, who was fouled on the break, converted two more free throws to draw within one point. However, WU could not regain the lead.
After another NYU timeout, Boone gathered an offensive rebound and scored the basket to end the Violets’ drought that totaled 11 unanswered points for WU. New York stretched its lead back to five points with less than five minutes left in regulation. After Ruths hit one free throw, DeCorso connected again from beyond the arc for a seven-point Violets lead.
Ruths finished with 13 points and five rebounds off the bench, while Hollins tallied a team-high 14 points. Boone led the Violets with 14 points and 11 boards. Tonight’s game can be seen Saturday, Feb. 5 at 10 a.m. on Charter TV Cable Channel 3 in St. Louis.
Washington U., which had won the previous 10 meetings with NYU, is back in action Sunday, Feb. 6, when it will host Brandeis University. Tip-off is slated for 11:30 a.m. at the WU Field House.