The looming pressure of final exams wasn’t enough to slow down NYU sports this weekend, with a full slate of action taking place up and down the Northeast.

Basketball

With the Coles Athletic Facility torn down and the 181 Mercer Street construction project underway, the men’s and women’s basketball teams played host to Hunter College on Sunday — in Hunter’s gym. Sharing the court for the season, the Violets seemed to feel right at home, with both teams dismantling their opponents by double digits.

The women’s team, ranked 25th in the latest NCAA Division III poll, improved to 8-0, defeated Hunter 78-41. In a recurring theme this year, most of the damage came in the second and third quarters, with the Violets outscoring Hunter 49-15 in those 20 minutes. Lights out on both sides of the ball, NYU shot 45.7 percent and tacked on 20 steals. Five Violets scored in double digits, with senior guard Kaitlyn Read and freshman forward Lauren Brown finishing with 15 points apiece. The Violets have beaten all of their opponents this season by at least 10 points.

Bouncing back from its first loss of the year to Yeshiva University last week, the men’s team put two solid halves together to defeat Hunter 68-52 for its fourth win of the year. The Violets quickly jumped ahead 13-5 in the first half and did not trail at any moment, in full control for 40 minutes. Though they had 19 turnovers, high-percentage shooting was enough to offset the occasional sloppiness.

Senior guard Joe Timmes continued his standout season with 20 points on 7-11 shooting, while junior guard Ross Udine added 17 of his own. Freshman forward Jimmy Martinelli finished with a double-double, with 10 points and 13 boards.

As finals week approaches, the Violets will soon have some well-earned time off. The men’s team returns to the court Tuesday against Purchase College while the women next play on Dec. 30 against Franklin and Marshall College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.

Fencing

NYU’s fencing teams traveled north this past weekend to compete at the Tradition Tournament in Fairfield, Connecticut. The men’s team went 4-2 against competition that included a win against seventh-ranked Harvard University, as well as one over Vassar College, while the women’s squad went 2-4.

Upperclassmen  leadership drove the men’s team in its four wins. Quinten Burgunder went 12-3 in the sabre competition, and junior foil Daniel Sconzo helped carry the load with 10 wins of his own.

Though it didn’t finish with the same success as the men’s, the women’s team also found success in foil and sabre. Second-year foil Anastasiya Muravyeva went 10-8, while first-year sabre Oliwia Szumilo finished 8-5.

The fencing program is off until 2017, when the squad returns to action at the National Circuit in Columbus, Ohio.

Swimming and Diving

The Violets shipped off to Cambridge, Massachussetts for the MIT Winter Invitational, a three-day competition spanning Friday to Sunday. The women’s team continued its stellar season with a record broken, finishing in first place, while the men placed second.

Senior Elise Gibbs and freshman Honroe Collins set new NYU records. Gibbs’ winning time of 2:18.49 in the 200-yard breaststroke broke her previous record of 2:18.88. Though Collins did not place first in the 200-yard IM final, her time of 2:04.90 in the preliminary set a new mark for the Violets.

Joe Del Buono was the men’s standout over the weekend, winning the 100-yard butterfly in 49.75 while also anchoring the second-place 200-yard medley relay team. They finished in 1:31.36.

In addition to victories in the pool this weekend, numerous swimmers achieved NCAA cuts. Junior Tim Kou and freshman Carlos Colmenares each made two cuts, and Elise Gibbs led the ladies with three.

Swimming is also on hold until the next calendar year, with the Violets hosting Family/Senior Day on Friday, Jan. 13 against MIT and Johns
Hopkins University.

Wrestling

In a weekend of mixed results, the NYU wrestling team dropped its first meet of the season to LIU Post on Friday but bounced back nicely to defeat Hunter on Saturday as the team celebrated Family Day in Brooklyn.

The Grapplers had a tough time against LIU, only taking three of the day’s 10 matches. Junior Anthony Calvano was victorious at 133 pounds, while junior Raymond Jazikoff and senior captain John Messinger both earned wins at respective weights of 157 and 174 pounds.

However, with family in attendance the next day, the Grapplers returned to form, winning eight matches, three by forfeit. Calvano won via forfeit at 122 pounds and also defeated Hamad Amir in an exhibition. Austin won his match at 141 pounds, while Jazikoff and Messinger tacked on wins.

The Grapplers are set to travel to Kings Point, New York on Saturday to square off against the United States Merchant Marine Academy.

A version of this article appeared in the Monday, Dec. 5 print edition. Email Michael Thompson at [email protected].