No. 6 men’s basketball beats Brandeis and falls to No. 5 NYU, honors Justin Hardy’s legacy with HardyStrong game

| Junior Sports Editor

Senior Hayden Doyle goes up for a three against Brandeis on Jan. 31. (Ella Giere | Photo Editor)

After defeating Brandeis University 83-58 on Jan. 3, No. 6 WashU men’s basketball broke their five game winning streak on Sunday, losing 77-62 to the No. 5 New York University (NYU) on Feb. 2. The Bears are now 15-3 overall and 5-2 in University Athletic Association (UAA) play.

No. 6 WashU v. Brandeis

On Friday, WashU came out swinging at Brandeis, going on an 8-0 run to start the game. It was clear from the moment the Bears stepped on the court that it was theirs to win. The Bears ended the first half up 42-28 and would not give up their lead for the rest of the game. 

In the second half, WashU maintained a double-digit lead and was able to create a lead as big as 25 points. The Bears came out victorious, beating the Brandeis Judges 83-53. 

Sophomore Connor May led the team in points with 18, four of which were 3-pointers. Seniors Hayden Doyle and Drake Kindsvater trailed close behind with 15 and 13 points, respectively. 

Friday’s matchup in the Field House, however, was more than just a basketball game — the Bears, including former WashU basketball players, honored the late Justin Hardy at the second annual HardyStrong game. 

Justin Hardy was a WashU student and member of the men’s basketball team who was diagnosed with Stage 4 stomach cancer in April 2021, the end of his junior year. But Hardy’s disease did not stop him from doing what he loved best — playing basketball. 

“We never, ever, ever would have thought he was going to play basketball. We were just hoping that he could come back and finish his degree and maybe be around the team,” WashU men’s basketball head coach Pat Juckem said. “And, lo and behold, he ends up playing, playing well at 30 pounds lighter.”

WashU graduates from the 1960s through 2024 came to honor Hardy as an amazing athlete and a resilient person, but also to carry on his legacy of “mind over matter” — a mantra Hardy adopted that exhibits the power of a positive perspective even during the darkest of times. 

Seniors Doyle, Kindsvater, and Kyle Beedon are the final members remaining in the program that played with Hardy. Before Friday’s game, Doyle made a speech about who Hardy was and the impact Hardy had on his life. 

“He was very uplifting,” he said about Hardy. “I played a lot as a freshman, and we were on the court a lot together. When I’d be struggling, he would get in my ear, and he kind of knew how to motivate me, which was really cool. … He had a really good feel and balance of how to connect with his teammates and get them to perform at their highest level, which is really unique, because you can’t talk to everyone the same way, everyone is so different.”

No. 6 WashU v. No. 5 NYU

At Sunday’s game against NYU, former WashU men’s basketball players showed up once again to support their alma mater. 

“It’s awesome,” sophomore George Gale said about playing in front of retired members of WashU’s basketball program. “Yeah, I love it. … Having Hardy weekend too and Hardy night on Friday night, his whole family was out here. … I think it really shows in how many alumni come out to the events, how many parents. We had a dinner on Saturday night. There must have been 50, 60 people there that were WashU basketball related.”

There was a clear distinction between the two halves during the NYU game. Early on, NYU gained a quick lead, up 12-2 in the first four minutes of play. A 3-pointer from Doyle appeared to change momentum but the 13 rebounds for the Bears was not enough to lead the game compared to the NYU Violets’ 23. 

The Bears entered the second half down 39-18 but quickly clawed back into the game, losing by only 6 points at the 14-minute mark. There was a clear shift in energy on both the court and in the stands. 

WashU found their stride, outscoring NYU 44-38 in the second half. However, it wasn’t enough as WashU ultimately fell 77-62. 

Four WashU players racked up double-digit points against NYU. Gale led the Bears with a new career high of 15 points and Doyle scored 10. Kindsvater and senior Will Grudzinski both scored nine points. Kindsvater led WashU with five rebounds.

Gale shared that the loss was not necessarily bad for the Bears.

“We just learn from all of our losses, try to take away as much as we can. It’s nice to be riding hot, but it can’t go on forever,” Gale said. “And I think in some ways, it’s not a bad thing to get kind of punched in the nose like this, and learn from your mistakes, because then you don’t have the pressure of this winning streak going into another game.”

WashU will face Brandeis and NYU again on Feb. 7 and 9 in New York. Going into the game, the Bears hope to use this weekend to prepare a new game plan for their trip.

“We got really competitive people, and we are all going to look within and find what each of us [can] do, and it starts with coaches. We have to have maybe a little different plan, a better plan,” Juckem said.

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