During Thanksgiving Break, the NYU men’s basketball team took care of business, handily winning their game and improving their record to 4-0 on the season.

On Sunday, NYU continued their early hot streak after blowing out the Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts 97-67 to remain undefeated. The Violets’ went on a dominating 21-6 run to start the game and never looked back.

NYU dominated MCLA in every aspect during the win, but excelled under the tin and in transition. The Violets outscored the Trailblazers 72-32 in the paint and 20-2 in fast break points. The team stretched their lead to as much as 35 points during the game.

Senior forward Patrick Burns finished the game with a career-high 22 points on 8-13 shooting from the field. He also recorded eight rebounds. Three of his field goals were intimidating dunks and the first two of those forced an early timeout by MCLA. Gontikas tied his career-high of 22 points in just 15 minutes of game time. He also grabbed six rebounds, had two assists and a steal.

NYU finished with an impressive 28 assists as a team, with nine different Violets serving up at least one. Ralby led all players with seven. Ralby also pulled down a game-best nine boards. When asked about how the team has gotten off to such a great start, Burns reflected on the team’s ability to adapt.

“Coming in, we had a huge change to adapt to with the change in coaching staff,” Burns said. “We were able to overcome some of the challenges this brings through our senior leadership and great work ethic, which helped maintain our principles that brought us success last year.”

The Violets will return to the court on Wednesday, Dec. 2, when they face-off against John Jay College. The game will be at Coles with a scheduled tip-off at 7 p.m.

A version of this article appeared in the Nov. 30 print edition. Email Brandon Herrera at [email protected].