From NYU Athletics
Hakeem Harris poured in a career- and game-high
32 points for his sixth 20-plus-point performance in University
Athletic Association (UAA) play en route to the New York University
men's basketball team's 94-73 victory over Case Western Reserve
University on Friday night, February 13, at the Jerome S. Coles
Sports Center in Manhattan.
Harris began the game with two three-point plays – drives to
the basket for the layups followed by made free throws – and
never looked back. The junior guard started the contest 6-of-6 from
the floor to finish 13-of-18 overall.
"Hakeem is an aggressive scorer, and when he gets going he's tough
to stop," said NYU Senior Assistant Coach John
Pelin. "It's just fun to watch him."
In addition to Harris, the Violets (15-6, 6-4 UAA) also saw three
other players score in double figures against the Spartans (14-7,
5-5 UAA).
Patrick Burns had his best scoring performance of
the season, notching 13 of his career-high 15 points in the second
half. The junior forward added three rebounds and a steal.
"Patrick always brings toughness and energy," continued Pelin. "He
plays hard and sometimes he fouls too much, but we love his
aggressiveness. Tonight he was able to get to the basket and make
some plays."
Evan Kupferberg notched his 11th double-double of
the season and 20th of his career, scoring 15 points to go along
with 11 rebounds, two assists and a steal. Ross
Udine rounded out the Violets to score in double
figures, chipping in 13 points on 5-of-6 from the floor in a
team-high 31 minutes. The freshman point guard also dished out a
game-best six helpers.
Despite the statistics, it wasn't an easy victory for NYU. The
Violets began the contest by jumping out to a 22-6 lead over the
Spartans. Case Western Reserve eventually trimmed NYU's lead to
three, 32-29, with 3:47 left in the first half, leading to a score
of 39-34 NYU at the break.
Once the second half began, CWRU was able to trim the lead to just
one, 41-40, with just over a minute gone by. The Spartans were able
to keep pace with the Violets for the next few minutes before NYU
finally took control en route to its 21-point victory.
"We had a rough patch there," Pelin said. "We called a timeout and
everyone came out of the timeout focused and with energy, and we
were able to build a lead back up and keep it going."
Beginning with Burns' steal at the 8:43 mark in the second half,
which led to his own fast-break lay-in and foul shot, the Violets
went on a 26-10. They stretched their lead to a game-high 25
points, 92-67, on Iyoha Agho's lay-in with 2:51
remaining.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Costis Gontikas pulled down
a game-high 13 rebounds. The junior center also chipped in nine
points, one assist and a block.
- NYU outscored Case Western Reserve 54-26 in points in the paint.
The Violets also outrebounded the Spartans 42-30.
"We needed to be more physical," Pelin said. "They took it to us
pretty good when we were in Cleveland. They outrebounded us and
beat us up inside, which is something that not a lot of teams can
do. Our big focus tonight was to dominate inside, attack the glass
and play inside-out, which we were able to do."
- With the victory, NYU is now tied for second place with Emory
University in the ultra-competitive UAA. Both teams are 6-4, but
the Violets swept the season series.