From NYU Athletics

The New York University men's basketball team rolled to its third-straight win, defeating host Hunter College 75-64 on Tuesday, December 12, at the Sportsplex in Manhattan.

Dom Cristiano scored the first five points of the second half on an old-fashioned three-point play and a thunderous dunk to help the Violets (6-2) increase a 14-point halftime lead to a game-high 19-point advantage.

From there, Hunter (4-5) rallied several times, but was never able to get the margin to single digits. Douglas Gertner came off the bench to score 11 second-half points, including a pair of crucial threes to help the Violets hold on to their double-digit lead.

"Doug has great feel for the game offensively and he's able to get himself some open shots," said NYU Assistant Coach Taylor Roth. "When you play as hard as he does, good things happen."

The teams traded buckets for the first five minutes of the contest, but an 8-0 NYU run helped the visitors turn a tie game into an eight-point lead they would never relinquish.

Noah Fennell provided a spark off the bench for the Violets in the first half, hitting a pair of three-pointers, including a buzzer-beating triple to end the half.

After halftime, Cristiano and Gertner made sure the double-digit lead stuck, as the duo combined for 20 points in the second half.

Cristiano led the Violets once again with 18 points and 13 rebounds, while Ethan Feldman added another impressive offensive display, scoring 15 points on nine shots. Tuesday marked the sixth time through eight games that Feldman has tallied at least 15 points.

George Keener led the Hawks offensively with 16 points.

HIGHLIGHTS:

- NYU shot 11-of-23 (47.8%) from long range in the win.

- Cristano is now averaging 10.5 rebounds per game, which is second in the University Athletic Association. 

- Ross Udine dished out seven assists.

- The last time NYU won three-straight games was to kick off the 2017-18 campaign.

The Violets now have two weeks off for final exams and a holiday break and will return to the court on Saturday, December 30, when they host Penn State Altoona at 5:00 pm.

"We ended the semester with three gritty wins and I'm looking forward to the second semester with our guys," concluded Roth.