KINGS POINT, NY - Taking on a conference foe, the Yeshiva Men's Basketball Team took down the United States Merchant Marine Academy, defeating the Mariners by a score of 92-70 on Sunday, Feb. 2.
 
Offensively, the Maccabees saw two players crack the 20-point mark, as Zevi Samet led the way with 33, while Luke Cronin tallied a new career-high at 20.
 
Two other players scored in double-digits for YU, with Yoav Oselka notching 17 and Effy Freundlich splashing in 15.
 
On top of their offensive output, Freundlich and Oselka lived up their big-men billing on the defensive side of the ball, with Freundlich putting up three rebounds, two blocks and one steal, while Oselka snatched two steals and pulled down eight rebounds.
 
With the win, the Maccabees improve to 11-8, 8-2 in Skyline play.
 
HOW IT HAPPENED

• Both squads traded baskets through the first four minutes of play, seeing the score tied at 11 with 15:52 on the clock. A 5-0 run gave USMMA a brief taste of a lead at 16-11, before the Maccabees quickly slammed the door shut. Buckets from Cronin, Freundlich, Oselka and Samet not only erased the Mariner advantage, but cemented a Mac one, with a dagger triple from Samet shooting Yeshiva's lead into the double digits at 30-18 with 5:42 remaining in the half.
   
• The Maccabee lead only grew through the final six minutes of the period, rocketing out past twenty points on another Samt three at 45-24. While this margin would not hold, the men in blue and white still carried a comfortable 45-27 edge into the break.
   
• USMMA came out swinging in the second half, chipping away at YU's lead over the first five minutes of the period, managing to whittle Yeshiva's margin down to 10 points at 56-46. However, the Maccabee edge refused to dip back into single digits, with back-to-back jumpers from Cronin and Samet shooting the Mac lead back out to 20 points at 66-46 with 11:35 left in regulation.
   
• Stellar shooting from Oselka, Samet and Cronin over the next nine minutes of play secured Yeshiva's control of the game, with the Macs leading 90-70 with just 80 seconds remaining. With the contest firmly in hand, YU's second unit was brought on to secure the victory, with Tom Valdman, Asher Falk, Hillel Baynash, Yoel Kintzer and Ezra Sicklick locking down the Maccabees' 92-70 win.

 
MAC LEADERS

• Points: Samet (33), Cronin (20), Oselka (17), Freundlich (15)
• Assists: Freundlich (6), Samet (4), Cronin (3), Itcovichi (3), Bardichev (3)
• Rebounds: Oselka (8), Samet (5), Cronin (5)
• Steals: Oselka (2), Cronin (2), Bardichev (2), Itcovichi (2)

 
UP NEXT
Returning home for the first time in over a week, the Maccabees will host Maritime College on Wednesday, Feb. 5 at 8:00 PM.