FREDRICKSBURG, VA - Closing out their Virginia road trip against another nationally ranked foe, the Yeshiva Men's Basketball Team fell to #15 University of Mary Washington, losing to the Eagles by a score of 90-89 on Sunday, Nov. 16th.
 
Offensively, the Maccabees saw a monster performance out of Zevi Samet, with the reigning Skyline Player of the Year tallying a season-high 39 points. Also scoring in double digits, Yair Dovrat notched 16, while Yoav Oselka put up 10.
 
On the defensive side of the ball, two big men dominated the paint for YU, with Oselka and Dovrat pulling down nine rebounds apiece.
 
With the result, the Macs are now 0-3 on the year.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Yeshiva raced out to a fast lead behind buckets from Dovrat, Bardichev, and Samet, going up 14-6 just five minutes into the first half. This lead would not only persist, but would grow as the Macs continued to push, with YU's edge hitting double digits at 27-16 with 9:27 remaining.
   
• While Yeshiva's advantage would stretch to as many as 14 points, a late Mary Washington run closed that gap back into the single digits, with the Macs carrying a four-point lead at 40-36 into the break.
   
• The Eagles would continue to pressure YU's hold on the game at the start of the second half. The squads knotted up twice at 42-all and 44-all, before the Macs lost the lead for the first time all game at 46-44 with 15:22 remaining.
   
• Mary Washington's edge would persist through the next 13 minutes of play, but would not go uncontested by the men in blue and white. YU never allowed the Eagles more than a seven-point margin, finally closing their deficit entirely on an Alex Kirievsky layup to tie the game at 65-65. Yeshiva would then recapture their lead, going up by six points with 16 seconds remaining. However, two Mary Washington free throws and two last second layups, including one that barely beat the buzzer, erased that gap, knotting the contest once again at 71-all and forcing overtime.
   
• It was Mary Washington that drew first blood in OT, taking a six point lead two and a half minutes into the five minute period. However, the Maccabees stormed back, with five straight points from Dovrat over the final 65 seconds leveling the score at 79-79, driving the match into a second overtime.
   
• Both squads traded blows over the second OT period, with the advantage changing hands four times over the five minutes. With 17 seconds left, Mary Washington led 88-87. However, after drawing a foul, Samet nailed two free throws, swinging the pendulum back in YU's favor at 89-88 with just five ticks left on the clock. It was then that Mary Washington proved why they are the #15 team in all of DIII. The Eagles drove down the court, nailing a jumper with 0.5 seconds left to go up 90-89. Yeshiva's last chance look was a good one, as Bardichev threaded a full court pass into the paint and right into the hands of Dovrat, but the Israeli rookie could not connect on the layup, leaving the Macs with a 90-89 loss.

 
MAC LEADERS

• Points: Samet (39), Dovrat (16), Oselka (10)
• Assists: Bardichev (3), Itcovichi (3), Samet (2), Dovrat (2), Kirievsky (2), Edri (2)
• Rebounds: Bardichev (9), Oselka (9), Itcovichi (7)
• Steals: Bardichev (2), Samet (2), Jacobs (1)
• Blocks: Oselka (1), Dovrat (1)

 
UP NEXT
Returning home, the Maccabees will host the defending DIII NCAA National Champions in Trinity College on Thursday, Nov. 20th at 8:00 PM.