NEW YORK, N.Y. – It was a historical evening for the Yeshiva University men's basketball team, as the Maccabees defeated the Golden Eagles of St. Joseph's Long Island, 75-70, at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Thursday evening. The win clinched Yeshiva's first home playoff game since 2000, and also tied a program record with 12 Skyline victories.
 
"Great team win for our guys and our University," Yeshiva head coach Elliot Steinmetz said. "Our fans are amazing and the energy they gave our guys in the second half was tremendous."
 
Yeshiva (14-10, 12-7 Skyline) trailed by as many as nine in the second stanza. Back-to-back two-point field goals by senior guard Shaje Weiss and classmate Shelby Rosenberg pulled the Maccabees within five, at 49-44, with 12:25 remaining in regulation time.
 
Down by seven, Yeshiva scored 14 unanswered points in a span of 3:38 to swing momentum into its favor and jump out to a 58-51 advantage. Senior guard Joseph Ammar was the catalyst of the Maccabees' 14-0 run, as he converted back-to-back three-point plays. The first was a successful field goal from downtown, while the second one was done the old fashioned way, by converting a field goal while being fouled. His free throw after gave Yeshiva the lead for good.
 
The Golden Eagles (10-14, 9-10 Skyline) rallied and pulled to within two, but a layup by Rosenberg extended Yeshiva's lead to 62-58, with 5:15 left to play. Ammar cashed in on another three-point field goal to pad the Maccabees' advantage to 65-58, with 3:23 to go in the second half. Yeshiva's defense held the opposition scoreless for 4:14.
 
From that point on, Yeshiva relied on clutch free throw shooting, including five by junior guardJordan Hod in the final minute to seal the win and a home playoff game.
 
In the opening half, Yeshiva came flying out of the gate as Hod's three-point field helped the Maccabees jump out to a 10-2 lead, less than three minutes into the contest. The Golden Eagles rallied to go up by three, 30-27, with 5:44 left in the opening half. With less than three minutes to play in the first stanza, Hod drained another shot from beyond the arc to put Yeshiva in front, 34-32.
 
Both teams went into the half with the score tied at 34. After St. Joseph's Long Island started the second stanza strong to take a nine-point lead, Yeshiva came all the way back to earn the win.
 
For the game, Weiss scored a game-high 21 points, while Rosenberg produced a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. Hod added 11 points, while junior forward Michael Berg grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds and led all players with six assists. Ammar produced nine points, all scored on three-point field goals.
 
Alumni night and senior night will take place on Saturday evening. Yeshiva will host Purchase College at 8:30 p.m. Five seniors will be honored prior to the start of the contest. Yeshiva's playoff game will take place on Tuesday with the opponent and time of the game to be determined.