NEW YORK, N.Y. - The Yeshiva University men's basketball team earned a come-from-behind Skyline Conference win over Mount Saint Vincent, 71-52, at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Thursday evening. The Maccabees remain in the fifth seed in the conference standings.

The Maccabees (14-9, 10-5 Skyline) got off to a sluggish start as they trailed 36-31 at the half. Yeshiva turned it around in the second by outscoring the Dolphins (6-17, 4-10 Skyline), 40-16, in the final 20 minutes.

"It was great to see our guys bounce back from a tough first half and outscore them 40-16 in the second," Yeshiva University assistant coach and basketball team alumnus, Benjy Ritholtz said. "The effort and energy for the last 20 minutes was phenomenal." 

Although the game was started off with a technical foul on Yeshiva, the Macs only buffered for a brief moment before answering the five-point void with a strong response. Starting off the Macs was senior forward Dean Pienica, who scored a layup, assisted by classmate Michael Berg. The rest of the first half was a back and forth affair, with the Macs pulling ahead, 35-34 with 7:34 left in the half,  thanks to a three-point jumper drained by senior forward Eli Mamann. The Dolphins pulled ahead for the rest of the half, but never led by more than five points.

CMSV opened the scoring in the second half, but the Maccabees took control quickly with a three-pointer from sophomore guard Judah Cohen off an assist from senior standout Jordan Hod. Directly after, the two flipped roles as Hod drained a three, off an assist from Cohen. That sparked a 13-0 run for Yeshiva, putting them in the lead for good. Freshman guard Simcah Halpert's three-pointer was the shot that would put Yeshiva up, 40-38, during the run.

Later in the half, Jordan Hod launched a three-pointer to give Yeshiva a 12-point lead, at 58-46. On the next possession, Halpert drained a three-pointer of his own to extend YU's lead to 61-46, with 6:33 left. Mount Saint Vincent would not come close again as Yeshiva went on to earn the convincing Skyline win.

"Our difference in effort in the second half versus the first half was the clear difference," Yeshiva head coach Elliot Steinmetz said. "When we work hard, good things happen."

Cohen led the team with 15 points, shooting 6-for-9 from the field. Halpert added 13 points, while Jordan Hod produced 12. Berg dished out a game-high eight assists, while Pienica and freshman forward Daniel Katz each scored eight points. Mamann chipped in with five points. Freshman forward Kevin Bokor and classmate Bar Alluf recorded three points each. Sophomore forward Tal Gweta produced an assist, while freshman guard Tyler Hod and classmate Daniel Poleyeff each grabbed a rebound.

Yeshiva will be back in action on Saturday evening, for a Skyline game against Old Westbury, at the Max Stern Athletic Center, beginning at 8:30 p.m.  It will be senior night as Yeshiva University will honor Pienica, Berg, and Jordan Hod with a ceremony prior to the start of the game.