FARMINGDALE, N.Y. – The Yeshiva University women's basketball team overcame a seven-point deficit in the second half to earn a crucial come-from-behind Skyline Conference victory over Farmingdale State College, 64-50, at Nold Hall Athletic Complex on Thursday evening.
Closing in on a Skyline Playoff Spot: The magic number to clinch Yeshiva's (10-9, 7-8 Skyline) first ever berth in the Skyline Conference Championships is now down to one. If College of Mount Saint Vincent (9-12, 5-11 Skyline) loses to St. Joseph's University Brooklyn (11-9, 8-7 Skyline) on Saturday, then the Maccabees will secure a berth in the conference postseason.
YU's Rally: Yeshiva fell behind, 29-22, with 5:38 remaining in the third quarter. However, the Maccabees finished the stanza on a 13-5 run to take a narrow 35-34 advantage after 30 minutes of play. Yeshiva completely took over in the fourth quarter, outscoring Farmingdale State College (4-17, 3-13 Skyline) by a score of 29-16 during the final 10 minutes of the contest.
"Tonight, the team learned how to overcome adversity and pull together to be the best version of themselves," Yeshiva University Head Coach Bill Zatulskis said. "This team has continued to grow from game to game and realize their potential."
Yeshiva's Leading Performers: Junior guard Daniella Bessler led all players with 25 points, while grabbing 14 rebounds for the double-double, and blocking four shots. The Brookline native shot 9-for-17 from the field and 4-for-6 from 3-point range.
Senior guard Yuval Nitzan netted 18 points, dished out six assists, forced five steals, and brought down four boards. Junior guard Shai Rahamim produced 12 points, four assists, two rebounds, and just as many steals. Senior forward Daniella Rothman generated six points, 10 rebounds, and a pair of assists.
How it Happened: The Maccabees got off to a strong start as a layup from Rothman gave the Maccabees an 11-5 advantage with 31 ticks left in the opening quarter. Farmingdale added a free throw with a second remaining to pull the home team to within five. Yeshiva took an 11-6 benefit into the second quarter.
The Rams scored the first five points of the second stanza to tie the contest at 11 points apiece. Yeshiva answered as a successful jump shot from Rahamim and a layup from Bessler put the Macs back in front, 15-11, with 5:12 left in the opening half. Then, Farmingdale took over by going on an 11-3 run to take a 22-18 benefit with 38 seconds left before the break. Rothman helped Yeshiva end the first half on a positive note by grabbing an offensive rebound and providing a putback bucket with 22 seconds remaining to narrow YU's deficit to 22-20. That would be the score at the intermission.
Farmingdale came storming out of the gate in the third quarter, outscoring Yeshiva by a 7-2 margin during the first 4:22 of the second half to take its largest lead of the evening, at 29-22. However, Bessler helped Yeshiva begin the turnaround as she buried a triple to pull her team to within four. After the opposition scored the next basket, Nitzan drained a triple to cap off a YU 5-0 run to narrow the Macs' disadvantage to 31-30 with 1:46 to go in the period.
Sophomore guard Erin Conte temporarily disrupted the YU's momentum with a shot from downtown to put the Rams back up by four. However, Yeshiva finished the stanza with five unanswered points, concluded by a triple from Bessler with 30 seconds left, to give the Maccabees a 35-34 edge heading into the final period of regulation.
After the Macs fell behind by one to start the fourth quarter, Bessler drained yet another 3-point basket that sparked a 12-0 YU blitz to put the Blue and White in front, 47-36, with 6:30 left to play in regulation. Bessler added one more triple and then converted a layup during Yeshiva's game-changing run, and Nitzan capped it off with a layup to give the Maccabees an 11-point advantage.
The Rams could not generate a run to get back into the game. Yeshiva led by as many as 16 before securing the come-from-behind Skyline victory over Farmingdale, 64-50.
Contributing for Yeshiva: Senior forward Gabrielle Kupferman had three points and four rebounds. Sophomore guard Abigail Koenig grabbed four boards of her own, while forcing three steals. Rookie forward Mia Denti brought down a rebound.
Up Next: Yeshiva will host Manhattanville College, in a Skyline matchup at ARC Arena, on Sunday evening. Tipoff is set for 6:00 p.m.