(Riverdale, NY) - Sophomore Avigail Varnai (Skokie, IL/ICJA) enjoyed a spectacular all-around game, scoring a career-high 28 points on 11 for 15 shooting and adding seven rebounds, three steals, and two assists, and Elana Kastzl (Miami, FL/WYHS) scored 15 points after going 5 for 8 from three-point range as the Yeshiva University Women's Basketball team battled but lost 90-73 to 2008 Skyline Conference Semifinalist Mount Saint Vincent in Riverdale, New York. With the loss, YU is now 1-5 overall and 0-5 in Skyline Conference play.
The game would have been a thriller had it not been for a disasterous start for Yeshiva as Mount Saint Vincent jumped out to a 25-2 lead thanks to seven Yeshiva turnovers and eight missed shots during the first seven minutes of play. After a Varnai jumped made it 25-4 with 13:35 left in the first half, the Maccabees began to battle back. Down 44-22 with 3:20 to play in the first half, Yeshiva scored 12 of the final 14 points of the opening half to make it 46-34 at halftime.
The second half saw the Maccabees continue to battle, bring the game as close as 12 points, but Yeshiva was unable to complete the comeback. Yeshiva lost its fourth straight game, but the Maccabees scored a season-high 73 points in the loss.
The story of the game for YU was Varnai, who had 22 points and seven rebounds during the second half alone, and nearly doubled her season scoring output to date. Also for Yeshiva, junior Lauren Kempin (Fairlawn, NJ/Frisch) just missed a double-double with nine points and 10 rebounds, and junior Libby Lapson (Chicago, IL/ICJA) added nine points, four assists, and two steals.
Overall, Yeshiva outshot Mount Saint Vincent 42%-41%, but were outrebounded 54-36. The Maccabees also forced 24 Mount Saint Vincent turnovers.
Yeshiva hits the road this weekend, travelling to Albany, New York for back-to-back games. The Maccabees face Albany Colege of Pharmacy on Saturday night for an 8:00 p.m. Hudson Valley Women's Athletic Conference (HVWAC) match-up. On Sunday afternoon, YU faces Sage College for a 2:00 p.m. Skyline Conference game.
