(New York, NY) - Sophomore Shir Fuchs (Herzeliya, Israel/Hayovel) scored a career-high 22 points and added three rebounds, and junior Lauren Kempin (Fairlawn, NJ/Frisch) and senior Tova Laufer (New York, NY/Ramaz) each netted double-doubles, but the Yeshiva University Women's Basketball team lost a 77-71 overtime thriller to Sage on Sunday afternoon at Baruch College. With the loss, Yeshiva is now 2-17 overall and 0-14 in Skyline Conference play.
Sage appeared to have the game at hand late in the first half as the Gators ended the stanza on fire and seemed to put the game away. After Renee Ashkinazi (Deal, NJ/Hillel Yeshiva) hit a jumper with 5:20 remaining in the first half, Yeshiva trailed 20-15, but Sage then went on a 15-4 run to close the half, and took a 35-19 lead into the break.
The 16-point halftime lead for Sage quickly turned into a 21-point edge with 16:30 remaining in the game before Yeshiva embarked on a remarkable comeback. A 7-0 run brought Yeshiva within 14 points, but Sage quickly made it an 18-point game. Yeshiva responded with a 17-2 run, and when sophomore Avigail Varnai (Skokie, IL/ICJA) hit a three-pointer with 8:11 remaining, the Maccabees trailed 49-45. After Sage responded with a basket, Fuchs hit a three-pointer to make it 51-48, and off of a Libby Lapson (Chicago, IL/ICJA) steal, Fuchs hit a jumper to make it a 51-50 game. With 5:05 remaining, Laufer put YU into the lead with a pair of free throws, and a wild finish ensued.
After Sage took a 55-54 lead with 4:11 to play, Yeshiva went on a 7-1 run that culminated with a Laufer jumper to make it 61-56 with 1:49 remaining, and it appeared as if Yeshiva had taken control. However, off of a YU turnover, Sage completed a three-point play to make it 61-59 with 1:12 left. Fuchs hit two free throws to make it 63-59 with less than a minute remaining and a YU rebound gave the Maccabees possession with less than 40 seconds to play, but two missed Yeshiva free throws gave Sage some life, and the Gators quickly converted a basket to make it 63-61.
Lapson converted one out of two free throws to make it 64-61 as the final countdown began, but Sage converted a three-pointer with four seconds remaining in regulation to tie the score at 64 and force overtime.
During the extra session, Sage outscored YU 13-7 as the Gators converted 43% of their shots during the overtime period, including two out of their four three-pointers.
For the game, both teams shot 35% from the floor, while Sage held a 60-51 rebounding edge.
Fuchs was fantastic for Yeshiva as she converted four of her six attempts from three-point range, while Kempin finished with 12 points and 10 rebounds, and Laufer had 10 points and 15 rebounds. Also for YU, Varnai was fantastic, finishing the game with 14 points, eight rebounds, and seven assists.
The Maccabees return to action on Tuesday, Feb. 10 when they host Mount Saint Vincent for an 8:00 p.m. Skyline Conference game.
