New York, NY.— Bursts of offensive excellence and sustained defensive intensity allowed NYU (10-0) to top Williams (7-3) in today's contest. The Violets were led by their graduate student captain Tristan How, who had 26 points and 15 boards in just 26 minutes.
How's play exemplified what put NYU over the top. He shot an efficient 58% from the field and 3-5 from long range. The Violets as a whole came out incredibly hot from long range, shooting 44% on high volume.
The teams stayed close for the first seven minutes. How and the Violets' other captain, Zay Freeney, dropped in threes, but the Ephs responded effectively. Seniors
Brandon Roughley and
Noah Dinkins hit from behind the arc,
Alex Lee scored at the stripe, and Roughley and
Jackson Rein scored in the paint.
NYU isn't ranked 8th in the nation for nothing. They put on bursts of offense that repeatedly allowed them to widen the lead. The first of these runs came after Roughley's layup, as How scored six points in a little less than a minute. A three for Josh Menard pushed the NYU lead to double digits, 23-12.
In order to get back into the game, the Ephs would have had to exploit the periods after NYU's runs to take back ground. Unfortunately, the seasoned NYU team stayed steadfast on the defensive end, keeping even with the Ephs when they weren't actively pushing ahead.
Brandon Roughley had a layup. Josh Menard came to a jump stop, finishing with a head fake and short jumper off the glass.
Jackson Rein stayed patient, dumping the ball to a cutting
Alex Lee despite a lot of pressure in the paint. Zay Freeney bounced back with a three.
The rest of the half continued like this. The Ephs got on the board with some nice plays, but the Violets had a basket or two for each of Williams' scoring possessions. At the buzzer, it was 45-27 NYU.
Hudson Hansen scored the first points of the second half, driving from left to right and finishing strong. That would be the Ephs' last bucket for four minutes. Again, it was How and Freeney leading the charge, boosting the Violet lead from 15 to 24 points.
First year
Jackson Rein was a bright spot for the Ephs, scoring Williams' next seven points. He picked up a give-and-go from
Brandon Roughley for a layup, caught a pass from Roughley for three, and took it to the post for two more.
The Violets' defense was just stifling, though, and despite Rein's best efforts, the Ephs couldn't get back into the game. For nine minutes, the Ephs were only able to convert from the free throw line. Though NYU wasn't as efficient as they'd been in the first half, they were able to balloon the lead to as many as 31 points.
For the last six-and-a-half, Williams went on a 19-7 run, but it was too little, too late, and the game wrapped up 81-62, NYU.
Eph head coach
Kevin App recognized the strength of the Ephs' opponent today, saying, "They're a really good team, and coach Klatsky's a really good coach. They play a way where everybody can make a shot, everybody can make a play, so you really have to be on your game. I thought we had moments where we did what we wanted to do, but other moments where we didn't quite have the defensive intensity that you need to take on a team like that consistently."
"Every game, we're still learning," he continued. "Our veterans are in new roles, predominantly, our first years and underclassmen are just learning our brand of basketball, learning how to play back to back games at a high college intensity— the consistency and physical approach that takes."
The learning aspect was big in App's mind despite the unfortunate result. First year
Jackson Rein led the Ephs in scoring today, demonstrating the progress he's made so far in the season. "That's why you play in tournaments like this," App said. "To test yourself, to learn, and I think Jackson had moments today where he played great, moments where he's going to learn a ton, the team's going to learn a ton. I was pretty encouraged with some things I saw, but we just didn't have the consistent energy and execution that you need to be a good team."
The Ephs play next on Saturday, Jan. 4th, against Worcester State, at 1PM in Worcester, Mass.
