The No. 21 NYU men’s basketball team lost to the New Jersey City University Gothic Knights at Coles Sports Center. With a final score of 60-50, the Violets, who had a perfect 4-0 start to the season, were handed their first loss.
A faulty 3-2 full court press defense by the Gothic Knights let the Violets come out strong at the beginning of the game. Quickly scoring three three-pointers, NYU gave themselves an early lead. NJCU made up the deficit by obliterating the Violets in the paint on both the offensive and defensive ends of the court.
While NYU played well near the three-point arc, NJCU did not let them anywhere near the rim. Failing in the paint caused many missed chances off the boards. Many crucial offensive and defensive rebounds were given up to the Gothic Knights.
As the second half began, NJCU enjoyed an eight-point lead. NYU finally got inside the paint with a stronger post game. The Violets tied the game with 9:22 left.
Senior center Devin Karch held down the defense with a couple of blocks and key rebounds. Karch added 15 points on the other end.
The game looked like it would be decided in the finals seconds, but NYU lost its concentration, ultimately allowing NJCU to get away with a lead.
Overall, NYU could not find a rhythm on offense, shooting a lowly 30.4 percent for the game. NYU had only three fewer rebounds than NJCU and only two more turnovers.
Although senior forward Carl Yaffe had a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds in 35 minutes of play, he could not make up for the team’s poor shooting.
Freshman center Evan Kupferberg said the team did not play with a sense of urgency.
“We feel we beat ourselves just as much as they beat us,” Kupferberg said. “They played harder than us and deserved to win. We need to respond the right way after this bad loss in order to be the team we all want to be.”
Men’s basketball will return to their home court at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 5 against SUNY College at Old Westbury.
A version of this article appeared in the Tuesday, Dec. 4 print edition. Francisco Navas is a staff writer. Email him at [email protected].
