NEW YORK, N.Y. – The Yeshiva University men's basketball team earned a convincing win over The City College of New York, 109-79, at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Thursday evening. The Maccabees (9-5) have now won eight straight contests, tying the longest streak in the program's history as a member of the NCAA. YU set the mark by winning eight games in a row, last season.

"Good team win," Yeshiva University head coach Elliot Steinmetz said. "Nice to see our offense clicking. We have to keep competing defensively but when we share the ball this way, we really can put up points."

As a team, the Maccabees distributed 31 assists which contributed to a 61.8 shooting percentage from the field, and the successful execution of 60 percent of their shots from beyond the arc. YU went 13-for-16 from the charity stripe.

Individually, junior forward Gabriel Leifer just fell short of a triple-double by scoring 25 points, bringing down 17 rebounds, and dishing out nine assists. The Lawrence resident also blocked a pair of shots and forced just as many steals. Junior guard Simcha Halpert also scored 25 points, while clutching five boards and distributing three dimes. Freshman guard Ryan Turell produced 21 points, had a career-high nine assists, and brought down six caroms.

Yeshiva never trailed at any point in the game. In the opening half, Turell drained a 3-point field goal to put the home team up, 22-14, with 11:46 remaining. The Beavers would chip away at their deficit to narrow the Macs' lead to just two points, at 35-33, with 4:52 remaining in the stanza. YU dominated for the remainder of the half, beginning with an 8-0 run to go up by double-digits, at 43-33, with 3:02 left. Turell capped off Yeshiva's rally with a layup. At halftime, Yeshiva was up by a score of 51-40.

Yeshiva was up by double-digits throughout the second half. Junior forward Daniel Katz converted a layup to extend YU's lead to 58-43, with 17:51 left to play in regulation time. The Beavers did manage to pull to within 10, with 13:32 to go, but the Blue and White countered with a 12-1 run in a span of 2:04 to take a commanding 76-55 advantage. The run was capped off with a 3-point field goal by Simcha Halpert with 10:40 left to play. Yeshiva would increase its lead throughout the remainder of the contest and go on to earn the dominating victory by a score of 109-79.

For the game, freshman guard Jeffrey Owen scored 11 points with a pair of rebounds, while Katz added eight points, three assists, and two boards. Senior forward Michael Hayon and fourth-year forward Tal Gweta each scored seven points, with the former grabbing five rebounds and the latter producing a pair of assists and just as many boards. Sophomore guard Eitan Halpert added five points, while junior forward Kevin Bokor had two dimes and a rebound. Junior guard Tyler Hod blocked a shot, grabbed a rebound, and had an assist.

Yeshiva will return on Tuesday, January 22, with a Skyline game at the College at Old Westbury. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.