(New York, NY) – Freshman Chen Biron (Kfar Saba, Israel/Katzanelson) and sophomore Simon Brookim (Brentwood, CA/Valley Torah) each met career high scoring totals, Biron scoring 20 points while Brookim chipped in 19 points, as the Yeshiva University Men's Basketball team engaged in a second half rally for the third time this season for a win, this time defeating Bard College 60-52 on Tuesday night at the Max Stern Athletics Center. With their fourth straight win, YU is now 4-1 overall and 2-0 in Skyline Conference play.
For the third consecutive game, YU had trouble getting out of the gate as a pesky Bard (0-5, 0-1 Skyline Conference) squad scored the game's first five points, and led 10-3 less than five minutes into the game. However, Yeshiva rallied back late in the first half, as a 9-0 run with Brookim and Biron scoring all nine points gave YU a 21-15 lead with 7:34 remaining in the first half. The remainder of the first half was a sloppy affair, but the visiting Raptors scored the final five points of the stanza to take a 28-26 lead into halftime.
Yeshiva opened the second half ice cold, missing its first six shots, and Bard extended its lead to a game-high eight points, 37-29 with 14:44 remaining in the game. But Yeshiva quickly turned things around as junior Aryeh Magilnick (Santa Monica, CA/YULA) provided a huge spark off of the bench, hitting two crucial three-point shots - the first six points of his career - as part of a 17-3 Yeshiva run, and the Maccabees held a 49-41 lead with 4:51 to play. From there, the Maccabees cruised to victory.
Biron and Brookim enjoyed fine all-around games as Biron shot 6 for 10 for the game (all from three-point range), and added four rebounds and four assists, while Brookim had six rebounds and six assists, while shooting 9 for 13 from the floor. Also having a terrific game for the Maccabees was junior David Gilboa (Tenafly, NJ/Frisch), who scored eight points and added four steals.
Overall, Yeshiva shot 47% from the floor - including a 57% effort during the second half - compared to Bard's 35%, and YU forced 14 Bard turnovers, while committing only 12. The Maccabees were, however, outrebounded 41-31.
After the Thanksgiving break, Yeshiva returns to action on Tuesday, Dec. 2 when they travel to Purchase College for an 8:00 p.m. Skyline Conference game. The match-up will be the second half of a doubleheader with the YU Women's team.
