The effects of momentum in basketball are sometimes overemphasized, but it’s no fluke. It’s a game of runs, where a few good possessions put together can immediately change the course of the game. Unlike football, it doesn’t take a herculean effort to come back from a double-digit deficit, no matter who the opponent is. In this weekend’s basketball action for the Violets, momentum was the key, for better or for worse.

On Friday, the men’s squad was defeated at home by Carnegie Mellon 85-80 in their first game. The Violets held a 14 point lead early on, but Carnegie Mellon was able to quickly climb out of the hole, finishing the first half up 39-37. In the second half, the Violets stormed ahead once more but were not able to hold on to their 11-point lead as Carnegie Mellon surged ahead for good. Despite the loss, senior center Costis Gontikas joined the university’s 1000-point club, becoming the 31st player to achieve the milestone.

On Sunday, the team bounced back with a great offensive performance, blowing out Case Western Reserve University 100-82. Senior captain Evan Kupferberg led all scorers with 25 points while senior forward Patrick Burns posted his sixth double-double of the season as the Violets improved to an overall record of 14-3. Now ranked 22nd in the nation by d3hoops.com, NYU dominated the Spartans, shooting an impressive 59.7 percent overall from the field. The Violets turned on the jets in the second half as they led their opponents by as much as 25 points late in the game. Freshman guard Doug Gertner is looking to the upperclassmen as March
fastly approaches.

“We have a senior-heavy team with postseason experience so they know what it will take to grind out this last month and put us in a position to make a run in the post season tournament,” Gertner said.

Meanwhile, the women’s team — ranked seventh in the nation by USA Today — extended their current win streak to four games as they took down both opponents.

Carnegie Mellon gave NYU quite a scare on Friday as their 17-point lead in the second half was erased late in the game. Carnegie Mellon had only held the lead once midway through the first quarter before they retook the lead with under two minutes left. Down one, senior captain Maya Wasowicz answered right back by converting on a game-winning three-point play as she was fouled attacking the basket with a minute remaining. The Violets came out victorious, 75-74.

In their game against Case Western, NYU beat the Spartans 82-70, improving to 17-1 on the season — a record good enough to put them in first in the University Athletic Association. Senior captain Megan Dawe led the Violets in scoring with 25 points while junior guard Kaitlyn Read tallied her sixth double-double of the season. NYU increased its lead to as many as 18 points late in the third quarter, but Case Western would not go away, cutting the deficit to only six with under four minutes remaining in the contest. The Violets, however, were able to keep a strong mentality throughout and never let their advantage slip away.

The NYU men’s basketball team will return to the floor this upcoming Tuesday, Feb. 2 as they face Stevens Institute of Technology in New Jersey at 7:00 p.m. The women will continue play this Friday, Feb. 5 against Carnegie Mellon University at 6:00 p.m.

A version of this article appeared in the Feb 1. print edition. Email Brandon Herrera at [email protected].