The New York University men’s basketball team concluded its non-conference schedule with a narrow 73-71 loss to the University of St. Joseph (CT) on Saturday, January 3, in West Hartford, Connecticut.
NYU led by as many as 13 points during the game but was unable to maintain its advantage as St. Joseph rallied late in the second half. The decisive moment came when a St. Joseph player scored a layup with one second left, breaking a 71-71 tie and securing the win for the Blue Jays.
Both teams were effective offensively in the opening minutes, with NYU holding an 11-10 lead after four minutes of play. St. Joseph then built a five-point lead midway through the first half before NYU responded with a 7-0 run to regain control. Carnegie Johnson contributed seven points in the final five minutes of the first half, helping NYU take a 36-31 lead into halftime.
After halftime, NYU extended its lead to 13 points following an Alex Daniels three-pointer that made it 58-46. However, St. Joseph answered with a 9-0 run to reduce the deficit to three points.
With five minutes remaining and NYU ahead 65-60, the Violets went scoreless for over three minutes while St. Joseph scored seven consecutive points to take the lead. In the final minute, Daniels hit another three-pointer to tie the game at 71 before St. Joseph’s last-second basket sealed NYU’s defeat.
Four NYU players finished in double figures for scoring. Daniels led with 14 points on four-of-seven shooting from beyond the arc. Johnson recorded six assists and Darren Rubin collected six rebounds—both team highs.
NYU ends its non-conference slate with a record of nine wins and two losses and will begin University Athletic Association play against Brandeis University on Saturday, January 10 at 1:00 p.m. in Waltham, Massachusetts.
