NEW YORK – The Yeshiva University women's basketball team suffered a hard-fought Skyline Conference loss to the College at Old Westbury, 67-54, at Nat Holman Gymnasium on Tuesday evening. The Panthers advance to 2-0 in Skyline play (2-3 overall), while the Maccabees drop to 0-4 in league competition (1-5 overall).
Leading the way for Yeshiva was freshman guard Yuval Nitzan, who produced a game-high 16 points. Senior forward Tehilla Teigman scored seven points, grabbed just as many rebounds, forced two steals, and blocked a shot. Sophomore guard Jessie Orgel added seven points of her own, while senior guard Adina Rosenberg tallied eight points.
The Maccabees got off to a strong start as a 3-point field goal by Rosenberg put the home team up, 5-0, during the opening minute. Later in the period, Orgel nailed a shot from beyond the arc to extend the Macs' lead to 14-9 with 3:21 left to play in the opening quarter. The Panthers rallied by outscoring the Maccabees, 7-2, in the period's final 1:32 to even the game, 16-16, after 10 minutes of play.
Orgel's layup to begin the second quarter gave the Blue and White a two-point advantage. However, it was short-lived as Old Westbury scored 10 straight points to take the lead for good. With 2:50 left to play before the half, senior guard Leah Shulman connected on a 3-pointer to pull YU to within five, 30-25. Junior guard Micha Brown of the Panthers closed out the half with a layup to extend the Panthers' hold to 34-27, and that would be the score at the intermission.
Old Westbury outscored Yeshiva, 19-7, in the third quarter. However, the Maccabees bounced back in the fourth period by winning the final 10 minutes, 20-14. The highlight of the quarter was both Shulman and senior guard Chana Weinberg connecting on shots from beyond the arc. It was not enough as Old Westbury went on to earn the Skyline win, 67-54.
For the game, junior forward Lindsay Brandwein tallied four points with five rebounds and two steals. Sophomore forward Mahlia Leventhal added three points with six rebounds, while senior guard Chana Boltax brought down two caroms. Shulman gathered three rebounds.
For Old Westbury, senior center Davida Warren produced a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 20 rebounds, while blocking a pair of shots and forcing just as many steals.
Yeshiva will battle St. Joseph's College Brooklyn, in a Skyline Conference contest at the Hill Center, on Tuesday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:00 p.m.