PURCHASE, N.Y. – After 343 days, the Yeshiva University men's basketball team returned to the court and earned a convincing 98-76 victory over Manhattanville College, at Kennedy Gymnasium, on Saturday evening. Yeshiva (1-0) extends its winning streak to 30 games, dating back to last season.

Manhattanville (0-1) stayed within striking distance for most of the game, but YU finished strong with a 23-8 run in the final 5:53 of the contest on its way to the season-opening victory.

"This one isn't about the results," Yeshiva University Head Coach Elliot Steinmetz said. "This one is about being back out there and our guys working hard and staying patient and disciplined so we could get to this point and play. Proud of them for that."

Yeshiva had balanced scoring with five players reaching double-figures. Leading the way for the Blue and White was junior guard Ryan Turell, who led all players with 31 points and 10 rebounds. The Los Angeles native shot 57.9% (11-for-19) from the field and distributed three assists.

Senior guard Eitan Halpert netted 21 points and shot 5-for-8 from 3-point range. Second-year guard Ofek Reef tallied 16 points and shot 75% from the field (6-for-8).

The Maccabees converted 58.5% of their shot attempts during the evening.

The two teams were neck-and-neck during the opening 10 minutes of the game. With Yeshiva down, 19-17, senior forward Gabriel Leifer nailed a jump shot to tie the contest. On Yeshiva's next possession, junior guard Max Leibowitz successfully converted a jump shot of his own to put YU in the lead for good, 21-19, with 11:46 remaining in the opening half. Later in the stanza, a pair of free throws by Reef capped off a 5-0 run for YU, extending its lead to 28-21, with 8:34 left to play in the frame.

The Maccabees eventually built themselves a 35-27 advantage, but the Valiants answered with five unanswered points to shrink the deficit to three with 4:04 remaining in the opening period.

Yeshiva had a narrow 43-39 lead with one minute left in the first half. Turell received the feed from sophomore guard Matan Zucker and nailed a 3-point field goal to give Yeshiva more breathing room with 49 ticks left until the intermission. Manhattanville pulled to within five on the next possession. In the closing seconds, Turell blocked senior forward Sean Smith, Jr.'s shot attempt and secured the rebound. He dribbled the ball down the court and nailed another shot from downtown, just before the first half expired, to give the Maccabees a 49-41 hold at the break. The reigning Skyline Conference Player of the Year and D3hoops.com First Team All-American had 21 points after 20 minutes of play.

An 11-1 run by the Maccabees in the middle stages of the second half, capped off by a layup from Halpert, catapulted Yeshiva to a 71-55 lead with 10:04 remaining in regulation time. The Valiants countered with eight unanswered points to shrink the Macs' advantage to 71-63. Halpert disrupted the opposition's momentum with a successful shot from beyond the arc to put YU back up by double-digits with 7:30 left to play.

Manhattanville had one more run as Smith, Jr.'s layup decreased Yeshiva's hold to 77-70 with 5:44 remaining in regulation time. From that point on, the Maccabees took over the game by outscoring the opposition, 21-6, in the final 5:30 of the contest. Zucker began Yeshiva's blitz with a layup off a feed from Turell. Halpert drained two 3-point shots during the closing minutes, while Turell converted two layups.

The Maccabees' defense held the Valiants scoreless for 3:17 down the stretch and just six points in the final 5:44 of the game.

Yeshiva went on to earn the season-opening victory by a score of 98-76.

For the Macs, Zucker added 11 points, eight rebounds, and four assists. Leifer generated 13 points, five boards, and four assists.

Smith, Jr. led the Valiants with 22 points and nine rebounds, while junior guard Jake Dunn added 19 points.

These two teams will square off again on Sunday, this time at the friendly confines of the Max Stern Athletic Center, beginning at 2:00 p.m.