Men's Basketball Toppled by #4 Washington, 61-52
02/24/08
Despite a valiant first-half effort, New York University's attempt to score a second-straight Sunday upset of a top-10 opponent fell short in a 61-52 setback loss to #4 Washington University in University Athletic Association (UAA) men's basketball action Sunday afternoon at the WU Field House.
Junior John Mish recorded team highs of 12 points and eight rebounds for the Violets (15-9, 6-7 UAA), who dropped their second straight game.
Although NYU led by as many as eight in the first half, and held a 30-26 halftime advantage, the Bears' (19-5, 10-3 UAA) frontcourt duo of Troy Ruths (31 points, 11 rebounds, 12-for-24 FG) and Tyler Nading (17 points, 9 rebounds, 8-for-14 FG) helped the UAA frontrunner pull away down the stretch.
Washington reeled off 12 of the first 16 points of the second stanza to take a 38-34 lead, but NYU responded with consecutive buckets by Mish and sophomore Omar Meziab (8 points) to forge a 38-38 tie with 11:50 remaining.
However, Ruths scored 18 of his points after intermission, including six straight to give the Bears a 44-41 lead with 9:51 left. A strong move to the bucket by junior Bill Morrissey (career-high 6 points) forced a foul and pulled the Violets within 44-43 with 9:35 remaining, but Morrissey missed the ensuring free throw.
From there, Nading scored Washington's next seven points, followed by 10 straight from the hands of Ruths, as the Bears put NYU away with a 17-6 spurt.
NYU shot 41.8% (23-for-55) while holding the Bears to 40.3% (25-for-62) shooting, including 16.7% (2-for-12) from beyond the arc. However, the Violets committed 14 turnovers to just six by the Bears. In addition, Washington went 9-for-12 (75.0%) from the free-throw line, while NYU was just 1-for-2 (50.0%).
NYU will travel to Waltham, MA, to face #7-ranked Brandeis University in its regular-season finale on Saturday, March 1. Tip-off time is 3 p.m.