NYU pulled out a close win against University of Rochester, 78-75, on Sunday at Coles Sports Center.
The Violets were especially effective inside, outscoring Rochester 32-18 in the paint. They also had 20 team assists for only the third time this season. By mixing an array of three pointers with good looks down low, NYU was solid all-around offensively.
Friday night, however, the Violets were not as successful, losing to Emory University 69-57.
"We did a much better job of getting the ball inside tonight," said head coach Joe Nesci after the Violets defeated Rochester. "We didn't do that well on Friday and it hurt us some. I thought we did a much better job of that today."
Freshman guard Kyle Stockmal was the hero of Sunday's game for the Violets, scoring all 13 of his points in the second half. On one occasion, he came up with a steal that led to a fast break layup and a foul to put NYU up for good, with 11:15 remaining. Later, he connected on three consecutive three-point attempts to cap a 28-14 run and hand NYU a 66-55 lead with 4:33 remaining.
"I have always been confident in myself," said Stockmal. "I knew my time would come eventually."
Against Emory, Nesci said his team was getting the ball to its front-court players too far away from the low block. On Sunday, junior Richie Polan successfully made several shots from the low block. Polan led the Violets, scoring 16 points including a four-point play in the second half.
"I am definitely starting to feel more comfortable out there," said Polan. "I knew my mindset going into today was that I had to attack. It worked out well."
Polan converted a baby jumper just outside the key to put the Violets up by six with just under a minute to play. But Rochester, who was ice-cold in the first half from beyond the three-point stripe, lit it up in the second half, going 10-17. Led by guards Mike Labanowski (23 points) and Milan Moncrief (22 points), Rochester made it a one-possession contest twice in the final minute.
After a Rochester three, Polan was fouled immediately and went one for two at the charity stripe. Rochester pushed the ball up court and ran a play for Bill Serle, whose three-point attempt bounced off the rim as time expired.
Thanks to a balanced attack, NYU shot 58 percent for the game, compared to only 33 percent against Emory.
"Our outside game mostly feeds off how well our inside guys are playing," said Stockmal. "We need to make sure to get our inside game going to make it a threat, and as soon as that gets going it just opens up everything else."
NYU (10-5, 2-3 UAA) will be back at home Friday night against UAA rival Carnegie Mellon University. The game is a Tear It Up! Event and will tip off at 8 p.m.
