NEW YORK – The Yeshiva University men's basketball team earned an statement victory over national powerhouse University of Mary Washington, 69-64, at Max Stern Athletic Center on Sunday afternoon. The win snapped the Macs' four-game losing streak and put them above .500 at 9-8 (6-2 in Skyline play) on the season. The Eagles drop to 13-5 overall. It was a key victory for Yeshiva, knocking off the only team that has defeated defending National Champion Randolph-Macon College this season.
 
For Yeshiva: Rookie guard Zevi Samet led the way by producing a double-double with 30 points and 10 rebounds. The Monsey native went 7-for-14 from beyond the arc and 5-for-5 from the charity stripe. Sophomore guard Max Zakheim added 19 points and four rebounds. First-year guard Effy Freundlich finished with eight points, four rebounds, and three blocks in his Max Stern Athletic Center debut. 
 
"I don't know how to explain it, but I had an awesome time, especially with friends and family in attendance," Freundlich said. 
 
Senior forward Matan Zucker scored five points, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished out three assists. Rookie forward Dothan Bardichev produced four assists, three blocks, and a pair of steals.
 
From Downtown: The Maccabees went 12-23 from three-point land, while the Eagles went a combined 3-24 from beyond the arc.
 
Free Throws Making the Difference: What separated the two teams was their performances at the charity stripe, as Yeshiva went 13-for-15 overall, and drained nine out of 10 attempts in the second half, while Mary Washington left a whooping 14 points on the table with its 7-for-21 showing.
 
How it happened: Yeshiva got off to a strong start, as a triple by junior guard Adi Markovich put the home team up, 20-12, with 11:12 left in the opening half. However, the Eagles used a 24-9 run and turned a 20-12 deficit into a 36-29 halftime lead by imposing their size advantage down low, where they outscored the Macs 28-8 on points in the paint.
 
Yet once the second half began, Yeshiva countered with the long ball led by Samet, as the four-time Skyline Conference Rookie of the Week winner nailed two triples out of the gate, cutting the deficit to one and setting up a seesaw stanza down to the waning seconds. A traditional three-point play by Zucker gave the Macs a 42-40 lead with 15:00 remaining as the teams would trade buckets until a Freundlich three-pointer capped a self-produced 8-2 run, extending YU's lead to 53-46 with 10:58 remaining in regulation time. The Canadian native from Hebrew Academy of Montreal high school then displayed his defensive prowess on the other end, rejecting an opposing shot attempt from beyond the arc, igniting an abundance of the 425 in attendance.
 
Mary Washington answered with a 9-5 run to slice YU's advantage to 58-55 with 3:45 to go. Yeshiva countered as Samet swished a triple with 2:37 left, giving his team a 61-55 cushion, but a layup by senior guard Cameron McCravy halted the Macs' momentum. After Yeshiva turned it over, succumbing to the Mary Washington press, the Maccabees needed a defensive stop. Freundlich delivered his third blocked shot of the afternoon, sending the fans into a frenzy. The contest would boil down to free throws, which tested the Macs' mentally, and they responded.
 
With YU up, 61-58, in the closing minute, Zakheim hit four shots from the charity stripe sandwiched around a layup from Eagles' leading scorer Greg Rowson. Then, Samet connected with freshman forward Roy Itcovichi for a layin, increasing the Macs' benefit to 67-60 with 22 seconds remaining. Mary Washington would pull to within 67-64 with 3.2 seconds left following two quick buckets, but Samet would hit two free throws to seal the victory for YU and amass the thirty-point threshold. 
 
"Defensive effort was the key," Yeshiva University Head Coach Elliot Steinmetz said. "Loved how our guys executed scout today against a really tough national team."
 
For Mary Washington: Senior forward Greg Rowson led the way with 14 points, eight rebounds, three blocks, and two steals. Off the bench, sophomore forward Andrew Rowson had nine points and five steals to go along with four rebounds.
 
Up Next: It's conference play from here on out for Yeshiva who will host Maritime College (9-8, 5-3 Skyline) on Wednesday, January 25, at Max Stern Athletic Center. Tipoff is slated for 8:00 p.m.