NEW YORK, NY - Taking home their second consecutive conference title, the Yeshiva Men's Basketball Team resoundingly cemented themselves as Skyline Champions with a win over Farmingdale State College, taking down the Rams by a score of 79-72 on Sunday, Mar. 1st.
Offensively, the Maccabees were led by
Zevi Samet, with the Skyline Player of the Year splashing in 36 points on 13-22 shooting. Rookie phenom
Yair Dovrat also scored in double-digits, tallying 15 points.
However, despite exceptional performances from his teammates,
Max Zakheim distinguished himself, proving indispensable in every aspect of YU's game. Over 38 minutes of play, the "Red Rocket" tallied a statline of eight rebounds, seven points, five steals, and four assists, for which he was awarded Tournament MVP by Skyline Associate Commissioner, Jackie Rogers.
With the win, the Maccabees close out their Skyline slate with a perfect 19-0 record, 20-8 overall.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- Despite both teams being known for their high-flying offenses, with Yeshiva averaging 80 points per game and Farmingdale 82, the first half proved a low scoring affair, as both squads only managed a collective 44 points.
- Yeshiva set the tone early, blocking Farmingdale's first two layup attempts and jumping out to a 6-0 lead, forcing an early timeout from the visitors. However, the Rams took full advantage of the break, scoring seven straight to seize the advantage for themselves at 7-6 with 15:27 remaining.
- Over the next seven minutes, neither team was able to hold onto the lead. The advantage changed hands four times, before the pendulum finally settled in Farmingdale's favor at 14-13 with 9:24 left, where it would stay for the rest of the half.
- Farmingdale managed to secure some breathing room near the end of the period, up by as many as eight points at 23-15 with 2:27 remaining. However, catalyzed by a tough Roy Itcovichi layup, the Maccabees scored six straight points over the final 90 seconds, headed into the break down by just two at 23-21.
- During halftime, an announcement went out over the PA, inviting any fans who wished to join to pray together in the nextdoor cafeteria. While the exact contents of their prayers are unknown, if they prayed for the Maccabees, it worked. Yeshiva came out of the gate on fire, quickly erasing Farmingdale's lead and tying the game at 33-all on a four-point play from Samet.
- The game devolved into a stalemate over the next four minutes, knotting up three more times at 38-all, 40-all, and 43-all. However, catalyzed by two triples from Samet and Dothan Bardichev, the Maccabees took the lead and held it, finally finding some daylight.
- Despite the best efforts of Farmingdale's stingy defense, Yeshiva was inevitable. Production from across the board began to push YU's lead higher and higher - three straight layups from Samet, back-to-back threes from Bardichev, a tip in layup from Oselka - all worked in tandem to push Yeshiva's lead into the double digits, up 70-60 with just 3:04 left on the clock.
- Farmingdale fought until the very end, managing to cut YU's lead down to six at 78-72, but there simply was not enough time left on the clock. As the final seconds ticked away, Yeshiva's moment of glory was punctuated by Joseph Silver on the play-by-play call for MacsLive - "And Farmingdale will just dribble it out, as for the second consecutive season, the Yeshiva University Maccabees are kings of the Skyline Conference."
- Yeshiva 79, Farmingdale, 72. Game over. Skyline Conference Champions.
MAC LEADERS
- Points: Samet (36), Dovrat (15), Bardichev (9)
- Assists: Dovrat (6), Samet (4), Zakheim (4)
- Rebounds: Zakheim (8), Oselka (7), Samet (4), Itcovichi (4)
- Steals: Zakheim (5), Oselka (2), Samet (2), Bardichev (2)
- Blocks: Dovrat (2), Bardichev (2), Itcovichi (1)
UP NEXT
As the Skyline Conference Champions, the Maccabees have secured an automatic bid to the NCAA DIII Men's Basketball Tournament. The selection will take place on Monday, Mar. 2nd at 1:00 PM. Live reaction from the Macs can be watched
here.
