NEW YORK, NY - Marking the seventh consecutive season in which they have won a playoff game, the Yeshiva men's basketball team took down the University of Mount Saint Vincent, toppling the Dolphins by a score of 84-76 on Tuesday, Feb. 20.
Offensively, the Maccabees were helmed by yet another
Zevi Samet master class, with the Monsey native dropping team high marks of 30 points and six assists on the night. Also making their presence felt, three other men wearing blue and white scored in double digits, with
Or Sundjyvsky (14),
Dothan Bardichev (13) and
Roy Itcovichi (10) all proving a force on the floor.
On top of his point total, Bardichev dominated the glass, pulling down 12 rebounds and securing a double-double.
On the defensive end of the ball,
Max Zakheim had an electric game back in Max Stern after being kept out for a month by a hip injury. The junior teamed up with
Effy Freundlich to form a lethal ball-stopping duo, as the pair snagged two and three steals respectively, while each also threw down a crucial block.
With the win, the Maccabees advance to the conference semifinals, where they will face No. 3 seeded Manhattanville.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Despite starting off slow, finding themselves down 9-3 following the first three minutes of play, the Maccabees responded in kind, relying on consecutive buckets from Samet, Itcovichi and Zakehim to rocket them out into the lead at 10-9.
- YU's edge would not last, as UMSV took it back on the very next possession, yet neither team was able to establish a firm hold on the game. Over the next 12 minutes, both squads would play tug-of-war with the advantage, seeing it change hands seven times before finally settling at 32-all with 1:45 remaining in the half. This scoreline would hold into the break, as four missed shots to close out the period would send the teams into their locker rooms deadlocked.
- Much like the first half, the sides opened the second off trading the lead back and forth, seeing it swing six times over the first nine minutes of play. That sixth exchange proved the final one however, as unbeknownst to everyone in the arena, a Samet jump shot that put YU up 48-47 marked the final time that Yeshiva would have to take back momentum.
- From there, YU's attack exploded, firing on all cylinders to take the first double-digit lead of the game at 62-50. Outpacing their opponent by as many as 15 points, while Yeshiva's advantage would dip back down into the single digits, their chokehold on the contest was never in doubt. Subbing in the end of their bench as the final seconds ticked by, the Maccabees rewarded a raucous home crowd with a convincing 84-76 victory.
MAC LEADERS
- Points: Samet (30), Sundjyvsky (14), Bardichev (13), Itcovichi (10)
- Assists: Samet (6), Bardichev (5), Itcovichi (3), Zakheim (3), Freundlich (3)
- Rebounds: Bardichev (12), Samet (6), Sundjyvsky (6)
- Steals: Samet (3), Freundlich (3), Zakheim (2)
- Blocks: Freundlich (1), Zakheim (1)
UP NEXT
Advancing to the conference semifinals, the Maccabees will play host to Manhattanville College on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 8:00 PM.
