NEW YORK, NY - Facing off against a fierce rival on alumni night, the Yeshiva men's basketball team fell to Farmingdale State College, losing to the Rams by a score of 57-76.
 
The Maccabees were once again carried by another exceptional performance out of Zevi Samet, as the Monsey native posted a stat line of 34 points, seven rebounds, one assist, one block and one steal.
 
Also having stellar nights for Yeshiva, Dothan Bardichev led the team with 10 rebounds, while freshman Yoav Oselka posted eight points, five rebounds and a block off the bench.
 
With the loss, the Macs are now 13-9, 10-3 in conference play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Yeshiva went toe-for-toe with Farmingdale's white hot offense early on in the first half, giving the 19-1 team all they could handle. The men in blue and white dropped bucket after bucket, going up 11-5 through the first six minutes of play.
   
• This advantage would last another four minutes, as despite the early momentum, a Yeshiva team lacking its second and third leading scorers could not keep pace with the Rams. The lead would be snatched away for good with 9:22 remaining in the period, as YU fell behind 17-16.
   
• From there Farmingdale continued to roll, forcing Yeshiva into a double-digit hole. By the time the halftime horn sounded, the Macs trailed by 16, with the scoreboard reading 39-23.
• Yeshiva's struggles continued early in the second half, seeing their deficit balloon into the twenties.
   
• However, despite the gap between the two squads, the Macs continued to fight. Chipping away at Farmingdale's lead over five minutes behind 14 points from Samet, YU closed within eight points with 8:45 remaining in regulation, electrifying a previously sullen home crowd.
   
• Samet's herculean effort proved not enough however, as Farmingdale quickly rebounded, soundly putting the contest out of reach of even the most determined Maccabee player. The final buzzer marked Yeshiva's second consecutive conference loss, falling by a score of 76-57.

 
MAC LEADERS

• Points: Samet (34), Oselka (8), Bardichev (6)
• Assists: Landau (3), Bardichev (2), Markovich (2)
• Rebounds: Bardichev (10), Samet (7), Oselka (5)
• Steals: Samet (1), Landau (1), Markovich (1), Freundlich (1)
• Blocks: Samet (1), Markovich (1), Bardichev (1), Oselka (1)

 
UP NEXT
Taking on their first and only opponent of next week on the road, the Maccabees will travel to Sarah Lawrence College on Wednesday, Feb. 7 at 7:00 PM.