BRONXVILLE, NY - Winning their first Skyline playoff road game since 2018, the Yeshiva Men's Basketball Team stunned Sarah Lawrence College in the conference semifinals, taking down the #2 seeded Gryphons by a score of 72-69 on Thursday, Feb. 27th.
 
The Maccabees were carried by Skyline Player of the Year Zevi Samet, with the junior guard putting up a mind boggling 34 points on 12-28 shooting, including four buckets from deep behind the arc.
 
YU also saw a stellar outing from Effy Freundlich, with the senior locking down the glass with three rebounds and two blocks on just 18 minutes off the bench.
 
With the win, the Macs improve their record to 17-10 on the year, 12-4 in conference play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both squads traded baskets back and forth through the first seven minutes of play, with the score level at 11-all with 13:19 remaining on the clock. From there, Yeshiva was able to secure some breathing room, with buckets from Samet and Max Zakheim powering a two-minute, 7-0 run that gave the Macs an 18-11 lead.
   
• YU's advantage would hold through the next nine minutes, stretching out to as large as nine points at 32-23. However, Sarah Lawrence fought back, slashing into the Maccabee edge with an 11-2 run of their own, knotting the contest at 34-34 with 2:30 left in the half. Despite this effort from the Gryphons, the Macs quickly reestablished control, as baskets from Freundlich, Or Sundjyvsky and Dothan Bardichev allowed the Macs to carry a four point, 40-36 lead into the break.
   
• Yeshiva's margin managed to reach double-digits for the first time all game in the second half, as a Sundjyvsky layup pushed the scoreline to 54-44 with 13:56 remaining. While the lead's double-digit status would not last, the Maccabees proved resilient,ultimately never losing their advantage throughout the rest of the contest.
   
• Much of YU's stranglehold on the final 20 minutes can be credited to Samet's scoring prowess, with No. 12 putting up 16 of Yeshiva's 32 second half points. Proving his ability to score from nearly anywhere on the court, he drained nine of his 20 shots, including a crucial jumper in the closing minutes that pushed Yeshiva's lead to 70-63 and proved pivotal in staving off a desperate Gryphon comeback attempt.
   
• Proving why they were the #2 seed, Sarah Lawrence came roaring back in the final minute of play despite being down seven, knocking down three foul shots followed almost immediately by a deep triple to trim Yeshiva's advantage down to just three at 72-69. With 27 seconds left on the clock, a pivotal Samet turnover nearly proved disastrous, yet the Gryphons' final two heaves bounced off the rim harmlessly. Toppling a team that had beaten them twice during the regular season, an exuberant Maccabee squad rushed the court, eager to celebrate their 72-69 win with both their teammates and their fans.

 
MAC LEADERS

• Points: Samet (34), Oselka (9), Itcovichi (8)
• Assists: Oselka (3), Freundlich (2), Bardichev (1)
• Rebounds: Oselka (5), Itcovichi (4), Cronin (4)
• Steals: Itcovichi (2), Samet (2), Oselka (1), Zakheim (1), Sundjyvsky (1), Levy (1)
• Blocks: Freundlich (2), Zakheim (1), Sundjyvsky (1)

 
UP NEXT
The Maccabees have punched their ticket to the Skyline Conference Men's Basketball Finals, setting up a rematch of last year's contest against the Farmingdale State College Rams on Sunday, Mar. 2 at 1:00 PM.