NEW YORK - In front of a raucous 704 people at Max Stern Athletic Center celebrating Alumni/Senior Night on Saturday evening, the Yeshiva University men's basketball team out-slugged the playoff-contending Dolphins from College Mount Saint Vincent 83-75 to keep pace with the Farmingdale State College Rams (16-7, 11-3) atop the Skyline Conference. With the win, Yeshiva (14-9, 11-3 Skyline) has clinched home-court advantage in the opening round of the Skyline Championships.
Before the action, Yeshiva University honored graduating seniors Gabriel Landau, Ryan Bokor, and Matan Zucker. They received a plaque and were given a standing ovation from the YU faithful.
From the opening tip, it was clear that the Dolphins (11-12, 6-7 Skyline) had done their homework and wouldn't let the rematch be anything remotely akin to the Macs' 84-63 victory at Peter Jay Sharp Center, back on December 5. Mount Saint Vincent was physical, forced turnovers, and moved the ball effectively. Yet the one thing they couldn't do was contain sophomore guard Max Zakheim, who punished them in the paint throughout the first half, accounting for 14 of the Macs' 38 points, with ten coming down low as part of his 20-point night.
The Maccabees took a 38-33 advantage into the intermission.
In the second half, the hosts spearheaded a 12-3 spurt, only to be answered by an 11-1 Dolphins run, bringing the visiting team to within three. However, Mount Saint Vincent clogging the paint meant Yeshiva enjoyed free reign to shoot the lights out from beyond the arc, a component quickly spotted by junior guard Oren Betesh, whose two triples sandwiched around a layup by rookie forward Roy Itcovichi ballooned the Macs' lead to 70-56 with 6:15 remaining in the contest.
After the Dolphins sliced the deficit back to 10, sophomore guard Zevi Samet, who finished with a team-high 22 points on the evening, canned a three-pointer before his key free throws moments later essentially sealed a crucial Yeshiva victory.
"Good effort against a tough CMSV team tonight," Yeshiva University Head Coach Elliot Steinmetz said. "Proud of our young team for continuing to progress and for clinching a home playoff game."
STAT SO?
TRIPLE THREAT:
Yeshiva was outscored 28-14 down low in the second half but maintained the lead thanks to their six 3-pointers to Mount Saint Vincent's two over the last 20 minutes.
BENCH PRESS:
The Macs' bench, which had Samet and Zakheim on it to begin the game, outscored the Dolphins' reserves 54-11.
YESHIVA'S LEADERS:
On his senior night, Zucker generated eight points, six rebounds, and two assists. Betesh netted 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting from the field, including 4-for-6 from downtown. The Jamaica, N.Y. resident also grabbed three rebounds and dished out just as many assists. Zakheim grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists, while Samet had five boards and a pair of helpers.
Itcovichi produced 10 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Landau drained a 3-pointer, while Bokor blocked two shots.
UP NEXT:
The Macs wrapped up their home portion of the regular season by going 7-4 on their home floor, with victories in their last five.
They'll close the regular season with two games on the road next week against St Joseph's Brooklyn (5-18, 2-12 Skyline) on Wednesday at 7:30 PM and Farmingdale State College on Saturday at 8:30 PM.