Corvin Oprea scored a game-high 25 points, shooting 7-for-12 from the floor and 8-for-8 from the free throw line, but it wasn't enough to pull off the upset, as the University of Rochester men's basketball fell to the 2nd-ranked NYU Violets, 86-69 on Sunday afternoon inside the Louis Alexander Palestra.
 
Rochester would get off to a hot start, hitting five of their first seven fields as they ran out to a 15-6 lead. Oprea broke the seal with a driving layup and then knocked down a three on UR's ensuing possession, while back-to-back triples from Bernard Dushie Jr. and Ethan McEachern made it a nine-point 'Jackets' lead just shy of the 14-minute mark of the first, forcing NYU to spend its first timeout.
 
Six-straight points from Theo Murray kept UR leading by as many as eight, but the Violets began to find their rhythm and reeled off a 17-4 run over the next 4:35 to take the lead.
 
Tristan How answered Murray's step-back with a driving layup, with a turnover on the other end leading to a layup from Jack Stone, cutting UR's lead to 21-17 with 10:39 left in the first.
 
Just over a minute-and-a-half later, How scored again and Stone sank a deep three to pull NYU ahead by one, while after Justin Odibo went 1-for-2 at the line, Stone swished another to give the Violets a 25-22 advantage with 8:07 remaining in the first half.
 
Another NYU three, this one from Zay Freeney, finished off the 17-4 Violets' run, turning an eight-point deficit into a five-point lead with just under seven minutes left in the first.
 
UR would briefly retake the lead with a 6-0 run of their own, with two Oprea free throws sandwiched in between buckets from Bennett Kwiecinski and McEachern, to make it 31-30 UR. But the Violets would finish off the first half on a 13-6 run, retaking the lead on How's layup with 4:51 until the halftime buzzer, while three-straight buckets from Hampton Sanders and Brock Susko made it an eight-point game before Oprea's step-back sent UR into the locker room down 43-37.
 
NYU quickly stretched its lead out to double digits to start the second half, with a pair of threes from Stone keying a 12-3 run over a 3:10 stretch to give the Violets a 55-41 lead with 14:27 left.
 
Odibo answered the second of Stone's threes with one of his own, but Freeney's layup and a jumper from Susko made it a 14-point game.
 
The 'Jackets wouldn't go away quietly though, again answered the Violets barrage with a run of their own. Oprea scored four-straight points, tipping in a missed three-pointer and sinking two free throws, to pull UR within 10, while after a miss on the other end by Sanders, McEachern cashed a three to make it a seven-point game.
 
Two more free throws from Oprea cut the deficit to just five, 55-50 with 12:04 remaining, but after Emmanuel Onuama sank a layup on the other end, UR missed two free throws and Stone hit another three, one of six on the afternoon, to stretch the Violets' lead back out to 10.
 
Just shy of the nine-minute mark, Susko and Nate Sock traded triples to keep UR within striking distance, while four-straight from Sock a little under two minutes later made it a nine-point game, 69-60, with 7:02 left.
 
However, an empty trip down the floor prevented UR from pulling any closer, and then Sanders came up with a three-point play, scoring through contact and hitting the free throw to push NYU's lead up to 12.
 
Down the stretch, Rochester twice pulled back within 11, but each time, the Violets had an answer. Susko scored off a UR turnover after Oprea canned a three, while a Stone answered Sock's jumper with yet another triple to make it a 14-point, 79-65 lead with just under three minutes to play.
 
Two made free throws by Murray made it a 10-point game with 1:56 left, but the Violets quickly broke through UR's press and found Freeney for a dunk. And after a miss from Oprea on the offensive end, Freeney hit a three-ball to effectively seal the victory, as the Violets hit two late free throws to finish off the 86-69 victory.
 
Rochester drops to 7-15 (1-10 UAA) on the season, while the Violets move to 21-1 (10-1 UAA) on the year.
 
Oprea led all scorers with 25 points, while Murray and Sock joined the junior in double figures with 11 points apiece. For NYU, Stone had a team-high 22 points, one of four scorers in double figures for the Violets.
 
As a team, UR shot 45.1 percent from the field and 40.9 percent (9-for-22) from three, while the Violets hit 55.0 percent of their attempts, and 44.0 percent (11-for-25) from three.
 
The Yellowjackets will hit the road next weekend for the final time during conference play, beginning with a matchup at WashU in St. Louis, MO on Friday, Feb. 21 at 5:30 pm CT.