The New York University men's basketball team defeated its second-straight ranked opponent, beating the No. 2 ranked Maroons of the University of Chicago 89-68 in a University Athletic Association (UAA) contest on Sunday, January 25, in Chicago, IL
The Violets swept both opponents on their Midwest swing, also defeating No. 18 Washington University in St. Louis 77-76 on Friday night. The win was the final piece of a Division III men's basketball week in which four of the top five teams lost: No. 1 Trinity (Conn.), No. 2 Chicago, No. 4 Mount Union and No. 5 Randolph-Macon.
NYU never trailed in Sunday's game, snapping a 5-5 tie with eight straight points and leading the rest of the way.
The Violets were ahead 43-24 at halftime and opened with six straight points on consecutive three-pointers from Luke Kolaja.
NYU took its biggest lead, 60-33, on Darren Rubin's layup and ensuing foul shot with 13:14 remaining.
The Maroons then went on a 16-0 streak to pull within 11 at 60-49.
But, Andrew Waldman connected on three straight three-pointers for the Violets and NYU never led by less than 16 the rest of the way.
Kolaja led all scorers with 21 points. He shot 8-of-11 from the field and converted on all of his five three-point attempts.
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| Andrew Waldman went 4-for-4 from three-point range in NYU's win. Image for NYU athletics |
That dead-eye shooting extended to Waldman, who connected on each of his four three-pointers. He finished with 16 points as the Violets shot an unconscious 72.7 percent (16-of-22) from long distance.
Rubin totaled 17 points and a game-high six assists, while Bryan Moussako added 10 points.
Kolaja also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.
The Violets return home to face Case Western Reserve University on Friday, January 30, at the John A. Paulson Center in Manhattan. Tip-off is set for 5:30pm.