NEW YORK – The Yeshiva University men's basketball team continued its momentum on Tuesday evening, earning a hard-fought come-from-behind Skyline Conference victory over the College at Old Westbury, 94-79, at the Max Stern Athletic Center. Yeshiva extends its winning streak to six games (6-1, 2-0 Skyline), while Old Westbury drops to 1-4 overall and 0-1 in league play.

"Just a toughness," Yeshiva University Head Coach Elliot Steinmetz said. "Our guys showed toughness down the stretch against a really talented and athletic Old Westbury team."

The Maccabees got off to a slow start, trailing by as many as seven in the opening half. Sophomore guard Ryan Turell nailed a 3-point field goal, and then senior forward Daniel Katz converted a layup to narrow YU's deficit to 22-20, with 11:20 remaining in the opening period. Later in the half, senior forward Kevin Bokor forced a steal and then classmate Bar Alluf successfully executed a layup off a fast break to cap off a 5-0 by the Maccabees and tie the game at 31 points apiece.

The two teams exchanged baskets for the remainder of the half. Sophomore guard Andrew Buskey of Old Westbury capped off the scoring by draining a 3-point field goal, with 36 ticks left on the clock, to give the visiting team a 39-38 advantage going into the intermission.

Turell and junior forward Caleb Milobsky combined for back-to-back layups to begin the second half, propelling YU to a 42-39 advantage. With 16:10 remaining in regulation time, Turell executed a layup to give Yeshiva more breathing room, at 50-45. The Maccabees could not shake off the Panthers for the moment, as OW countered with six straight points to take the lead. Junior forward Cameron Winston continued the Old Westbury's rally with a layup to put Yeshiva at a 56-53 disadvantage. Senior guard Simcha Halpert countered with a shot from beyond the arc to even the game, 56-56.

With the game tied at 58, Halpert found Katz, who laid the ball up and in to give Yeshiva a lead it would not surrender again. With 8:38 to go in the second half, Halpert hit a timely 3-point shot to increase the Blue and White's advantage to 66-62. That sparked a 7-2 run to allow Yeshiva to gain control of the game for the time being. However, back-to-back successful shots from beyond the arc by Winston pulled Old Westbury to within two, at 72-70, with 5:48 remaining in regulation time.

With 4:16 left to play, and Yeshiva hanging on to a 74-71 lead, Turell came up big once again with a 3-point field goal to extend the Macs' advantage to 77-71. After senior guard Pedro Marquez hit a 3-pointer for the Panthers to make it a one possession game, the Maccabees answered with 10 straight points to give the home team a commanding 84-74 hold, with 2:02 remaining. Freshman guard Ofek Reef started the game-deciding surge with a layup, Halpert continued it with a shot from downtown, and then Turell capped it off with a layup.

Old Westbury could not get back into the game, as Yeshiva hit key free throws in the closing minute to earn its second Skyline victory of the young season.

For the Macs, Turell led all players with 30 points, going 9-for-12 from the field in the process, while dishing out four assists and grabbing five rebounds. Senior forward Gabriel Leifer produced a double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, while Halpert generated 14 points, including four 3-point shots. Reef tallied 11 points with four rebounds, while Alluf added eight points. In his first game of the season, Katz chipped in with five points, two assists, and just as many rebounds. Milobsky had six points with three rebounds and two assists.

Five players from the Panthers reached double digits in scoring, including 17 points by Marquez.

Yeshiva will battle St. Joseph's College Brooklyn, in a Skyline Conference matchup at the Hill Center, on Tuesday evening. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.