(New York, NY) – Junior Martin Leibovich (Buenos Aires, Argentina/ORT II) notched his first career double-double, scoring 29 points and adding 10 rebounds to go with four assists, and sophomore Simon Brookim (Brentwood, CA/Valley Torah) added 17 points and nine rebounds as the Yeshiva University Men's Basketball team rallied for a 77-62 win over CCNY on Wednesday night at the Max Stern Athletics Center. With the win, YU is now 2-1 overall. The come-from-behind win was also the 375th win during the illustrious coaching career of Dr. Jonathan Halpert, who is in his 37th season on the YU sideline. Halpert is seeking to become the 56th coach in the history of NCAA Division III Basketball to reach the historic 400 win mark.
Much of the opening half was a back-and-forth affair as CCNY held an 8-7 lead before Yeshiva rallied for seven straights, and a Brookim lay-up made it 15-8 with 12:22 to play in the first half. However, CCNY (0-1) chipped away at the YU lead, and a 9-0 Beaver run late in the half gave the visitors a 25-24 lead with 2:42 to play. CCNY led 30-26 at halftime despite a 21-9 rebounding edge for Yeshiva, thanks in part to 18 YU turnovers.
The second half would prove to be a different story as Yeshiva continued its dominance on the boards, committed only three turnovers, and Lebovich and Brookim combined for 31 points.
A CCNY three-pointer with 7:48 to play made it a 52-52 game, however, Yeshiva dominated the game's final minutes, outscoring CCNY 25-10. A 9-0 YU run made it 61-52 with 5:41 to play, and a 9-0 Maccabee run during the game's final minutes gave YU a decisive edge.
Overall, Yeshiva outshot CCNY 54%-45%, including a 63%-41% shooting egde during the second half. Yeshiva also outrebounded 41-23 and only committed 21 total turnovers to CCNY's 18 despite the initial sloppy play.
Aside from Leibovich and Brookim, junior Jeremy Pressman (Bala Cynwd, PA/Stern Hebrew) scored a career-high 10 points, including a thunderous dunk during the second half, and junior Alex Claster (Kansas City, KS/Hyman Brand Hebrew Academy) scored eight points and added six rebounds and four assists despite playing with an injury.
Yeshiva returns to action on Sunday, Nov. 23 at 7:30 p.m. when the Maccabees host Polytechnic for their Skyline Conference opener.
