(Courtesy of NYU Sports Information)
NEW YORK, N.Y. – Behind the combined first half efforts of junior guard Derek Becker (Manalapan, N.J.) and senior forward Keith Jensen (San Diego, Calif.), New York University turned back Wentworth Institute of Technology by a 66-56 score in first game of the 2010 NYU New Year's Classic.
In leading the Violets (7-2) to their fourth-straight win, Jensen, the team's leading scorer at 15.8 points per game before Saturday, produced a balanced statline: 17 points, seven rebounds, five assists, three steals, and a blocked shot in 34 minutes.
Leopard junior forward Sam Herrick (Duxbury, Mass.) led all players with 19 points and 14 rebounds for the Leopards (2-5), who shot 52.4% (22-for-42) in the loss.
Jensen combined with Becker for 25 first-half tallies, outscoring Wentworth between them while claiming a 35-21 cushion after 20 minutes. Becker hit all five of his shots, including several strong drives to the rim, and scored all 12 of his points prior to intermission. Meanwhile, Jensen scored four of his half-high 13 points in the final 40 seconds of the opening half.
Wentworth (2-5) pulled within 43-33 with 12:17 left when senior forward Shane West (Saco, Maine) capped a 7-0 spurt with a layup, but a junior forward Richie Polan (Tarzana, Calif.) layup and a freshman forward Carl Yaffe (Bethesda, Md.) three-pointer put the Violets ahead 48-33 just 46 seconds later. Polan had 11 points and six board, while Yaffe chipped in with eight points.
The Leopards climbed within 60-52 after a sophomore guard Brendan Monteiro (Brockton, Mass.) trey with 1:04 remaining, but four free throws from Senior guard Omar Meziab (Tucson, Ariz.) and two by sophomore forward Andy Stein (Bethlehem, Pa.) helped NYU secure matters in the final minute. Meziab and Stein scored eight points apiece. Monteiro would finish with 12 points for the Leopards.
NYU shot 46.3% (25-for-54) from the floor and owned a 29-26 rebounding advantage.
NYU returns to action Sunday, Jan. 3, when it hosts Lebanon Valley College at 6:00 p.m. in the final game of the New Year's Classic. Wentworth will tip off against the New York City College of Technology at 2:00 p.m.
