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Stein's career night leads Violets to ECACsemisMarch 3, 2011by Russell SteinbergWhen the regular season ended, the ECAC Division III Metro Tournament selection committee decided that NYU wasthe worst team in the field.The committee's assessment wasn't even close.Five players scored in double figures and junior Andy Stein netted a career high 37 points last night as eighth-seededNYU upset top seeded St. Joseph's (L.I.) in a shootout on the road."Andy just had a monster game," head coach Joe Nesci said. "He posted up well and finished tremendously."Stein's offensive outburst paced the Violets, who built a 20-point lead on three occasions en route to a 107-93 victory.NYU now advances to Saturday's semifinals to face fourth-seeded Rutgers-Newark, who slipped by the College ofStaten Island.The Violets enjoyed a complete night offensively, shooting 60 percent from the field and 39 percent from beyond thearc. Yet it was the inside game that made the difference for NYU.The Violets out-rebounded the Golden Eagles 51-26, limiting St. Joseph's potent offense to one shot per possession."They wanted to get shots up," Stein said. "But they were staying static on offensive rebounds and our guys wanted toget up the floor."This allowed NYU to use its transition game, which benefited senior guards D.J. Glavan (17 points) and Derek Becker(9 points)."They played tremendously," Nesci said. "They really orchestrated our offense well."Sophomore Carl Yaffe and senior Richie Polan each posted double-doubles to add to the balanced attack.The Violets built a 54-43 halftime lead behind a 17-3 run, capped by five straight points from Glavan and a jumper fromYaffe.But when the Golden Eagles threatened to close the gap, it was Stein who had the answer.St. Joseph's cut the NYU lead to nine twice early in the second half, then pulled within six with 3:21 to go.Up by just two possessions in the final moments, Stein answered with a jumper and then an emphatic dunk to makesure the Violets never relinquished momentum."I was getting very good position," Stein said. "I felt I could take it to the basket every time."Stein's late heroics ensured the Violets a trip to the semifinals, which will be played Saturday night at 7 p.m. onRutgers-Newark's home court. Check nyunews.com on Friday to find out how to follow the game.Page 66 of 179