NEW YORK, N.Y.— For the second time this week, the Yeshiva University men's basketball team beat the defending Skyline Conference champions as the Maccabees knocked off Purchase College 69-54 in a Skyline Conference showdown at the Max Stern Athletic Center on Sunday afternoon.
 
The win improves the Maccabees to 6-1 in Skyline Conference play and 8-3 overall. Purchase College is now 1-2 in the Skyline and 1-9 overall.
 
Behind great teamwork and smart shooting, Yeshiva led virtually the entire way. The Maccabees raced out to a 6-0 lead and the only time Yeshiva was not in front was when Purchase countered with an 8-2 spurt to tie the score at 8-8 with just over six minutes gone by.
 
From there the Maccabees went on a 12-0 run to take a 20-8 lead and Yeshiva led the rest of the way.
 
The Maccabees assisted on twenty-four of thirty made field goals. Jordan Hod had eight of his game-high nine assists in the first half alone to set the tempo. Yeshiva earned assists on fourteen of the team's fifteen made field goals in the first half.
 
Benjy Ritholtz knocked in a game-high 22 points on 10-of-16 shooting. He added five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots in the win. Meanwhile Shelby Rosenberg had 14 points and seven rebounds. Michael Berg had 10 points, seven rebounds, four assists, two steals and two blocked shots.  Hod had seven points and six rebounds to go with his nine assists, while Joseph Ammar and Eli Mamann had seven points each. Mamann added five rebounds, three assists and two blocked shots in the win.
 
Yeshiva connected on 30-of-58 from the floor for a 51.7 percent clip, and the Maccabees held a 36-22 advantage on points in the paint.
 
Purchase was led by Michael Pelham with 14 points.
 
Yeshiva is back in action on Tuesday as the Maccabees close out their 2014 calendar year with a game at Lehman College at 8 p.m.