OLD WESTBURY, NY - Closing out the week on the road, the Yeshiva men's basketball team felled The College at Old Wesbury, defeating the Panthers by a score of 80-70 on Sunday, Jan. 28.
 
Offensively, the Maccabees saw four double-digit scoring performances on the day, as Zevi Samet led the way with 29 while Dothan Bardichev, Roy Itcovichi and Effy Freundlich wracked up impressive stats of their own with 15, 13 and 10 respectively.
 
On top of their stellar point totals, both Bardichev and Itcovichi dominated the glass, coming within inches of double-doubles, as Bardichev pulled down nine rebounds while Itcovichi managed seven.
 
Gabriel Landau also had a solid game on the defensive end, wracking up five rebounds and a team-leading mark of two steals.
 
Playing in his just his third game as Maccabee, Yoav Oselka finally took the court in Old Westbury after battling injuries all season. Balling for 11 minutes, Oselka put up two points, three rebounds and a steal.
 
With the win, the Maccabees are 12-7, 9-1 in conference play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both squads traded baskets over the first six minutes of play, seeing the lead change hands five times before settling at 13-all with 13:33 remaining. It was then that the Macs were able to secure some separation, going on a 10-0 run over 90 seconds to seize a 23-13 advantage.
   
• Yeshiva would not give up this edge at any point throughout the half, with high-quality offensive production of Oselka, Samet, Itcovichi and Bardichev keeping the team's advantage intact. By the time the halftime horn sounded, the Macs sported a ten-point lead at 40-30, a margin forced into the double-digits by a last second Samet triple.
   
• Not allowing their momentum to dissipate, YU came into the second half firing on all cylinders, going up by as many as 19 points at 56-39.
   
• Despite their seemingly insurmountable deficit however, Old Westbury were able to pull the game back within striking distance, as YU saw their lead shrink to just four points with 6:58 remaining. Yet, even as the Maccabee attack faltered, Samet proved once again that ice runs in his veins, nailing two huge back-to-back buckets to lift Yeshiva's advantage back into the double digits at 74-63.
   
• A pair of Samet free-throws and a Freundlich layup over the closing moments ensured that Yeshiva's lead did not dip back down again, as the Macs left their conference rival in the dust with an 80-70 win.

 
MAC LEADERS

• Points: Samet (29), Bardichev (15), Itcovichi (13), Freundlich (10)
• Assists: Samet (5), Itcovichi (4), Landau (3)
• Rebounds: Bardichev (9), Itcovichi (7), Landau (5)
• Steals: Landau (2), Bardichev (1), Itcovichi (1), Oselka (1)
• Blocks: Haber (1)

 
UP NEXT
Coming back home for their last January contest, the Macs will host Manhattanville College on Tue, Jan. 30 at 8:00 PM.