From NYU Athletics

The third-seeded New York University men's basketball team advanced to the Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) Division III Metro Championship Final with an 81-70 victory over second-seeded Rutgers University-Newark on Saturday, March 7, in a semifinal contest hosted by Brooklyn College.

"We're excited to advance to tomorrow's final and play one more game," said Senior Assistant Head Coach John Pelin. "It's always great to have the opportunity to end the season with a win."

The Violets and Scarlet Raiders went back-and-forth in the first half, as NYU (19-9) took a 38-35 lead into halftime.

Midway through the first, junior forward and team captain Evan Kupferberg became the 30th player in NYU men's basketball history to tally his 1,000 career point. 

Coming out of the lockerroom for the second half, NYU took control of the game early. Rutgers-Newark did not go away, however, cutting the lead to six with less than 12 minutes remaining. 

NYU was able to answer with a run of its own that included back-to-back three pointers from Joe Timmes and Hakeem Harris to help put the game away and advance to Sunday's championship.

Highlights:

- In addition to reaching the 1,000 point milestone, Kupferberg recorded his 15th double-double of the season and 24th of his career. The forward finished the contest with a team-high 21 points and a game-best 16 rebounds.
 
"We are all extremely proud of Evan," added Pelin. "He's been a great player and captain for us and we are looking forward to watching him continue to grow."

- Ross Udine finished the game with 10 points and 10 assists for his second-career double-double. The freshman was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line. 

- Patrick Burns tallied 16 points to go along with eight rebounds and two assists.

- Harris finished the afternoon with 18 points.