HARTFORD, CT - Taking on their second nationally ranked opponent of the season, the Yeshiva Men's Basketball Team fell to #5 Trinity College, losing to the Bantams by a score of 84-43 on Sunday, Dec. 1.
 
Offensively, the Maccabees were helmed by Zevi Samet, with the Monsey native tallying 12 points and three assists on the day.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, big-man Dothan Bardichev had a stellar outing, leading the team with a stat line of three steals, one block and one rebound.
 
Multiple players saw their first minutes of the year versus Trinity, with Hillel Baynash, Tom Beza, Benjamin Lasry and Ezra Sicklick all taking the court for the first time in the 2024-25 season.
 
With the loss, the Macs are now 3-2 on the year.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both squads traded points through the first six and a half minutes of play, with the scoreboard reading 10-10 with 13:36 remaining in the first half. While Trinity would break that deadlock just over a minute later, a persistent Maccabee attack did not allow the Bantams any sort of breathing room, with buckets from Max Zakheima and Or Sundjyvsky nipping at the heels of YU's nationally ranked foe.
   
• The Macs would carry this momentum into their first lead of the day, with Luke Cronin draining a jumper to put the boys in blue and white up 18-17 with 8:45 left.
   
• Trinity retook their advantage with a fast break layup 45 seconds later, yet an undeterred Yeshiva continued to fight, not ceding more than a five-point gap between the two teams before once again tying the game at 27-all thanks to consecutive layups from Effy Freundlich and Yoav Oselka.
   
• The Bantam's reclaimed their lead at 32-27 over the final two minutes of the half, tacking on five more points to go up 32-27 going into the break. Despite this edge, they could not shake a scrappy YU squad, one that had just held one of the best offenses in the country to their second-lowest scoring first half of the year.
   
• Despite their first half success, the Maccabees could not maintain that same level of play going into the second. Yeshiva only managed 16 points throughout the period, ultimately falling by a score of 84-43.

 
MAC LEADERS

• Points: Samet (12), Zakheim (7), Sundjyvsky (7)
• Assists: Samet (3), Sundjysvky (3), L. Cronin (2), Bardichev (3)
• Rebounds: Samet (5), L. Cronin (3), Sundjyvsky (2), Zakheim (2)
• Steals: Sundjyvsky (3), Bardichev (3), Zakheim (2)
• Blocks: Valdman (2), Bardichev (1), Lasry (1)

 
UP NEXT
Staying on the road, the Maccabees will travel to nationally ranked NYU on Thursday, Dec. 12 at 7:00 PM.