The regular season for NYU’s men’s and women’s basketball teams has not been ideal — both teams have cooled down considerably after going on perfect starts before the winter break while the closing of Coles cast a shadow over the proceedings. However, both teams closed out their seasons with blowout victories over Brandeis University this past Saturday, Feb. 27, on the road.

The men’s squad edged the Judges 71-50, sweeping the season series between the two schools for the first time in 12 years and capping off the year with a 20-5 record. It was all Violets at tip-off as they found themselves up by 21 points in the first half. Despite a strong run to cut NYU’s lead to only 29-18 at halftime, Brandeis was never able to close the gap. Behind senior captain Evan Kupferberg’s game highs of 17 points and nine rebounds, the Violets never looked back and cruised to their final victory of the year. Sophomore guard Ross Udine, senior center Costis Gontikas and senior forward Tony Bai also chipped in with double-digit scoring efforts of their own, combining for 39. Now working towards what he’s hoping is a run in the NCAA Tournament, fellow senior captain Max Ralby knows the team is ready for the journey.

“No matter what post season tournament we get placed in our focus will not change,” Ralby said. “We have one goal and that’s a championship, and I think with a very experienced team we will be ready to go this week.”

The women’s team finished its season with a 70-56 victory over the Judges as well. Junior guard Kaitlyn Read led the way for the Violets, finishing with a game-high 19 points. She also led the team in assists and steals en route to the Violets’ win, finishing the year 18-7. The game remained relatively tight throughout the first half as NYU carried only a two-point lead into halftime, 35-33. The Violets did not hesitate in the third quarter though as they quickly got off to an 11-0 run, and held a 57-45 lead heading into the fourth period. They dominated for the rest of the game, as they recorded nine steals and shot 51.9 percent compared to Brandeis’ 36.4 percent in the second half. Junior guard Amy Harioka, senior forward Megan Dawe and senior guard Riley Wurtz also reached double-digits in points on Saturday.

Now that the regular season has come to a close for both basketball teams, each looks forward to this Monday, when the NCAA Division III Tournament selection show will be aired, deciding the postseason fate of each squad.

A version of this article appeared in the Feb. 29 print edition. Email Brandon Herrera at [email protected].