OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – The nationally-ranked No. 17 Yeshiva University men's basketball team was able to grind out a Skyline Conference road victory over the College at Old Westbury, 87-63, at the Clark Athletic Center on Tuesday evening. The Maccabees (23-1) extend their program-record winning streak to 23 games and remain unbeaten in league play (15-0).

Leading the way for the Maccabees was sophomore guard Ryan Turell, who tallied a game-high 32 points, shooting 13-for-19 from the field in the process, and tallied six rebounds with three assists. Senior forward Gabriel Leifer generated a double-double with 16 points and a game-best 17 rebounds, while dishing out five assists. Senior guard Simcha Halpert netted 15 points, while grabbing five rebounds, delivering two assists, and forcing just as many steals. Freshman guard Ofek Reef added nine points and four assists.

Yeshiva played strong defense, holding Old Westbury to just 34.8% shooting from the field and 28.6% from 3-point range.

"Great defensive effort by our guys on a night that it took us a while to get going offensively," Yeshiva University Head Coach Elliot Steinmetz said.

The Maccabees' defense set the tone early, holding the Panthers (14-10, 10-5 Skyline) scoreless for the first 9:25 of the contest. Yeshiva's first basket did not come until 3:03 into the game, as a jump shot by Turell began Yeshiva's blitz that propelled the visiting team to a commanding 14-0 lead. Leifer highlighted the run with two 3-point field goals.

Yeshiva's lead ballooned to 15, but Old Westbury rallied with a 6-0 run to pull to within single digits, at 23-14. Junior guard Eitan Halpert halted the home team's momentum with his second 3-point field goal of the game to put Yeshiva back up by 12, at 26-14, with 2:20 left to play in the period. The Macs were able to build their lead back up to 15, at 32-17, and that would be the score after 20 minutes of play.

Senior guard Bar Alluf opened the second half with a 3-point field goal to give Yeshiva a comfortable 35-17 edge. The Panthers rallied with six straight points to shrink YU's lead to 12. A pair of free throws by senior forward Daniel Katz halted the opposition's momentum for the moment and put YU back up by 14. On Yeshiva's next possession, Turell grabbed an offensive rebound and tipped the ball into the basket, while being fouled. He added the free throw to complete the traditional three-point play to inflate Yeshiva's hold to 40-23, with 16:01 left to play.

After Old Westbury rallied to pull to within 12, Yeshiva answered with a 5-0 run, capped off by a successful shot from downtown by Simcha Halpert to give the Maccabees a commanding 47-30 advantage with 13:24 remaining in the second half. A few minutes later, Simcha Halpert buried another 3-point basket to increase YU's lead to 54-35, with 9:33 to go. Later in the stanza, Eitan Halpert delivered the ball to Reef, who converted a fast break layup that increased the Macs' lead to 58-38, with 8:13 remaining.

Old Westbury could not generate a consistent run to get back into the game, as YU was able to hit key shots down the stretch to prevent the game from getting close. In fact, Yeshiva managed to build its advantage up to 27, thanks to Turell's second dunk of the evening to put Yeshiva up 85-58, with 1:26 to go. YU went on to win its 23^rd consecutive game, 87-63, and remain unbeaten against conference competition this year.

Leifer now has 152 assists in his career, which sets a school record. Joey Eaves ('86) and Gil Bash ('13) each distributed 149 assists in their respective careers. Leifer tied their record with 3:11 remaining in regulation time, and then moved into sole possession of first place on YU's All-Time Assists List with 2:19 to go by setting up Simcha Halpert's 3-point field goal. 

For the Maccabees, Eitan Halpert scored six points, dished out three assists, and had just as many boards. Katz chipped in with four points.

For Old Westbury, freshman forward Jonathan Jamieson netted a team-high 15 points, grabbed three caroms, and forced three steals.

Yeshiva will conclude the regular season on Saturday evening, with a Skyline Conference contest against St. Joseph's College Long Island, at the Max Stern Athletic Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:30 p.m. It's Senior Night as Yeshiva University will honor its graduating seniors, Sammy Mandel, Kevin Bokor, Alluf, Tyler Hod, Katz, and Simcha Halpert with a ceremony prior to the game.