ST. LOUIS -- Junior forward Matt Palucki recorded the eighth double-double of his career with a game-high 29 points and 11 rebounds as No. 7 Washington (Mo.) to an 81-65 win against New York University on Sunday afternoon. With the win, Washington remained undefeated at home this season with a 10-0 record.
Washington improves its overall record to 12-2 and is in sole possession of first place in the University Athletic Association (UAA) standings with a 3-0 conference mark. New York dropped its second consecutive game to fall to 11-3, and 1-2 in the UAA.
Palucki eclipsed the 20-point mark for the third time this season and fourth in his career, connecting on 10 of 15 from the field. He also tied his career high by making five 3-pointers. Senior guard Alan Aboona added 15 points and six assists, while senior forward Chris Klimek had 10 points.
Washington connected on 10 of 22 from 3-point range, its third game this season with 10 or more 3s. The Bears outrebounded New York, the top rebounding team in NCAA Division III, 43-33.
Aboona had the hot hand for Washington U. early in the contest as he scored 10 of the first 12 points for the Bears. His 3 from the corner gave WUSTL the 12-6 advantage with 14:18 lead. Palucki followed with 10 consecutive points, including back-to-back 3s, as Washington U. extended the lead to 22-14. Aboona and Palucki scored 20 of the first 22 points for the Bears.
Washington U. took its largest lead of the first half at 38-27 with 3:01 to play after a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Luke Silverman-Lloyd. Palucki nailed his third 3-pointer with 53 seconds left in the half to snap a 7-0 NYU run as the Bears took a 41-34 lead to the locker room. Palucki had 17 points and 10 boards in the opening half for Washington, who hit 7 of 15 from 3-point range.
New York was limited to 32.1 percent (9-for-28) shooting in the opening half, but stayed in the game by hitting 14 of 18 from the free-throw line. Evan Kupferberg had 12 points in the first half to lead NYU.
Palucki scored five of the first seven points of the second half for Washington, and his two free-throws pushed the lead to 48-36 and forced a timeout by NYU. Washington continued to lead by double figures, but New York mounted a comeback with a 15-4 run to cut the advantage to 62-58 with 8:23 to play.
The Bears scored the next eight points, capped by a steal and a layup by junior forward Nick Burt, to get the lead back to double figures at 70-58. Burt had seven points, a career-high five steals, and four rebounds in the win. Aboona sealed the win with a 3 from the wing to make it 75-61 with 5:04 to play.
Tim Cooney filled up the stat sheet for the fifth consecutive game with six points, seven assists and nine rebounds. Silverman-Lloyd added eight first-half points off the bench for Washington.
Kupferberg (16 points), Ryan Tana (111) and Costis Gontikas (10) all scored in double figures for New York, which shot 27.8 percent (5-for-18) from 3-point range in the loss. The Violets made 20 of 25 from the free-throw line.
