THROGGS NECK, NY - Facing off against one of the top teams in the conference with the No. 2 seed on the line, the Yeshiva men's basketball team took down Maritime College, defeating the Privateers by a score of 68-64 on Saturday, Feb. 17.
 
Offensively, the maccabees were helmed by a trio of double-digit scorers. A career-high 20 points from Dothan Bardichev was complimented nicely by 15 from Zevi Samet, and 14 from recently-returned-from-injury Or Sundjyvsky.
 
Bardichev also had an excellent night on defense, teaming up with fellow starter Effy Freundlich to form an offense-stifling duo for the ages. The two towering interior defenders swiped three and four steals respectively, while each also recorded a block on the evening.
 
With the win, the Macs end their regular season with a record of 14-11, 11-5 in conference play. They have won the Skyline Gold Division, and have secured the No. 2 seed in the conference playoffs, which are set to begin Tuesday, Feb. 20.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• While buckets from Bardichev, Samet and Adi Markovich kept the Maccabees competitive early on, as the first half progressed, it was clear that Yeshiva were struggling to put points on the board. Down by as many as 14 at 32-18, it was only thanks to two last second foul shots from Samet that YU were able to crack the 20-point barrier, headed into the locker room trailing by a score of 32-20.
   
• In spite of their first half struggles, the Macs roared back in the second, embodying the same resilient spirit that they have all season long. Beautiful shots from Bardichev and Freundlich sliced into Maritimes' lead over and over again, cutting it down to just 39-36 with 13:14 left to play in regulation.
   
• The Privateers were able to compose themselves and reestablish their hold on the game, yet the Maccabees were never far behind, keeping hot on their opponen's tail. Yeshiva only briefly allowed the margin between the two squads to creep back up into the double digits, when the scoreboard read 62-52 with 3:10 remaining.
   
• From that point onward, it was all a Yeshiva show, kickstarted by a hard-fought Sundyvsky layup in the paint. A 12-2 YU run completely erased the Maccabee deficit, capped off by a dagger from Roy Itcovichi to tie the game up 64-all with six seconds remaining, sending the Yeshiva bench into absolute hysterics. Four foul shots from Samet and Sundjyvsky later, and the game was over. Despite only leading for four seconds all night, the Macs had secured their most important win of the season at 68-64.

 
MAC LEADERS

• Points: Bardichev (20), Samet (15), Sundjyvsky (14)
• Assists: Bardichev (4), Samet (4), Sundjyvsky (2), Freundlich (2), Markovich (2)
• Rebounds: Bardichev (8), Samet (6), Sundjyvsky (4), Itcovichi (4)
• Steals: Freundlich (4), Bardichev (3), Sundjyvsky (3)
• Blocks: Freundlich (1), Bardichev (1), Landau (1)

 
UP NEXT
Having cemented their spot in the Skyline Conference Playoffs, the No. 2 seeded Maccabees will play host to No. 7 seed University of Mount Saint Vincent on Tuesday, Feb. 20 at 8:00 PM.