NEW YORK, NY - Extending their home unbeaten streak to two, the Yeshiva Men's Basketball Team took down Oglethorpe University, defeating the Stormy Petrels by a score of 88-75 on Sunday, Nov. 17.
 
Offensively, the Maccabees saw four players score in double digits. Reigning Skyline Player of the Week Zevi Samet led the way with 23, while Max Zakheim, Or Sundjyvsky and Luke Cronin put up 18, 15 and 13 respectively.
 
On top of his scoring prowess, Zakheim also had a big day for YU on the defensive side of the ball, leading the team with 10 rebounds and three steals on the night.
 
With the win, the Macs improve to 3-1 on the year.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both squads traded baskets back and forth over the first five minutes of play, seeing the scoreboard read 8-8 with 15:02 left in the half.
   
• Finally able to break away, solid shooting secured the Maccabees some breathing room, as three buckets from Samet, Zakheim and Sundjyvsky in less than a minute catalyzed a run that put YU up, 21-12.
   
• This level of dominance would not last however, as the Stormy Petrel attack clawed its way back over the next seven minutes, tying the contest at 29-all with 4:07 remaining.
   
• With both teams knotted so tightly together, the entire arena would witness a stretch of play that saw the lead change hands eight times in just four minutes, a tug-of-war that the Maccabees would ultimately win. With just 17 seconds remaining in the half, Zakheim drained a midrange jumper to put Yeshiva up by two, and while an Oglethorpe foul shot cut that edge to just one, the Macs carried a slight advantage into the break at 42-41.
   
• The start of the second half saw the two squads continue their struggle for dominance, with the score tied at 48-all after two raucous minutes of play. This deadlock would be broken by a trio of traded baskets, the last of which being a Sundjyvsky driving layup that gave YU a lead they would never surrender.
   
• Seemingly emboldened by their forward's gutsy play in the paint that put the team up, 52-51, the Maccabees began firing on all cylinders. Over the next four minutes, buckets from Zamet and Zakheim, combined with a shattering dunk from big man Yoav Oselka, catapulted Yeshiva out to a 13-point advantage at 65-54, the first double-digit edge held by either team all game.
   
• Having hit their groove, the Yeshiva offense had the game firmly in hand. While Oglethorpe managed to shrink YU's lead back down to single-digits at 82-73, with just 1:16 remaining in regulation there was no time for the visitors to catch up to a runaway Maccabee train, particularly one bolstered by a raucous home crowd. One last punctuating dunk from Cronin vaulted the Max Stern Athletic Center to its feet, closing out the matchup, 88-75.

 
MAC LEADERS

• Points: Samet (23), Zakheim (18), Sundjyvsky (15), L. Cronin (13)
• Assists: Samet (6), Bardichev (4), Zakheim (3), Itcovichi (3), J. Cronin (3)
• Rebounds: Zakheim (10), Sundjyvsky (5), Itcovichi (4)
• Steals: Zakheim (3), Sundjyvsky (3), Samet (2)
• Blocks: Sundjyvsky (1), L. Cronin (1), Freundlich (1)

 
UP NEXT
Hitting the road for a three-game away stint, the Maccabees will first travel to Trinity College on Sunday, Dec. 1 at 1:00 PM.