NYU TANDON SCHOOL OF ENGINEERING Brooklyn, NY---Trailing by three points with a little over two seconds to play, the Brooklyn College men's basketball team's final shot to tie New York University and send the game into overtime went long dropping the Bulldogs to 3-6 overall on the season. NYU improved to 5-2 with the non-conference victory. The Bulldogs will have a couple of weeks off before traveling to Daytona, FL to participate in the Land of Magic Tournament where they will take on Lebanon Valley on December 28th and Oneonta State on the 29th.
With Brooklyn clinging to a 66-63 lead following two
Austin Wood free-throws with 2:22 remaining in regulation, the Violets answered with two makes from the charity stripe of their own to cut the Bulldogs lead to one on the ensuing possession. NYU would then take the lead for good on a made jumper off of a turnover, which led to an inbound under NYU's basket. The Violets would strategically foul to send freshman point guard
Michael Tesoriero to the free-throw. He would make one of two foul shots with seven seconds remaining. Brooklyn would foul right away sending the Violets to the charity stripe with five ticks to go in the game. NYU managed one of two makes prior to BC's final three-point shot attempt, a clean look in front of the BC bench.
Following a slugfest through the first half with the game tied 41-41 with 15:17 left in the game, the Bulldogs would go on a 16-5 run capped by an
Austin Wood three-point make giving the Bulldogs their largest lead of the game of eleven with 10:44 remaining in the contest.
The home team answered with a 14-3 run of their own to tie the game 60-60 with just over five minutes to play. Wood would break the tie on a lay-in at the 3:30 mark. The Violets took their first lead since Brooklyn's mid-half run with a three-point make on the ensuing possession. Tesoriero knocked down two free-throws leading to BC's final lead of the game with just under three minutes to play.
As mentioned, both teams would feel each other out through the first ten minutes of the opening period with neither team taking more than a one-possession lead. NYU led by as many as eight points towards the end of the first half, which would be diminished to one before an NYU buzzer-beating tip-in for the 30-27 halftime advantage.
The Violets out-rebounded the Bulldogs 15-7 on the offensive boards leading to 12 second-chance points to Brooklyn's four.
The Bulldogs were led by senior guard
Austin Woods' game-high 24 points. Junior guard
Maynard Grant IV added 16 points. Tesoriero was a bucket shy of a double-double, finishing the evening with eight points to go along with a game-high ten assists.
NYU Head Coach and BC alumn, Joe Nesci, notched his 500th career win.
