Yeshiva U. Men’s Basketball Team Cruises Past Old Westbury For Sixth Straight Win

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OLD WESTBURY, N.Y. – The Yeshiva University men’s basketball team earned an impressive Skyline win over the College at Old Westbury, 86-61, at the Clark Athletic Center on Tuesday evening. The Maccabees have now won six straight games (12-9, 10-6 Skyline) and move back into a tie with Purchase College for third place in the conference standings, with the two teams ahead of Mount Saint Mary by a full game. Old Westbury drops to the sixth and final playoff spot (10-12, 9-8 Skyline).

As a team, Yeshiva shot 51.9 percent from the field and drained 13 3-point field goals. Four players scored in double-figures.

Leading the way was sophomore forward Gabriel Leifer, who produced a double-double with a game-high and personal best 32 points to go along with 11 rebounds. The Lawrence resident shot 12-for-16 from the field, including 3-for-5 from 3-point range. He also dished out five assists, forced three steals, and blocked two shots.

Sophomore guard Simcha Halpert added 16 points with six boards and five assists. Classmate Bar Alluf and senior forward Eli Mamann each scored 14 points, with the former grabbing four caroms.

The Maccabees started the game off strong, as Leifer received a feed from Alluf and successfully converted a layup, while drawing a foul. He hit the free throw to give YU an 11-2 advantage, less than four minutes in.

After Old Westbury scored, Yeshiva responded by scoring 14 unanswered points, capped off by a 3-point field goal from Alluf, to give Yeshiva a commanding 25-4 advantage. Later in the period, a successful shot from beyond the arc by Leifer extended the Maccabees’ lead to 36-6, with 7:29 remaining in the half. Mamann closed out the first half by hitting a 3-pointer of his own, with 39 ticks left on the clock, to send Yeshiva into the locker rooms with a 54-24 advantage.

In the second stanza, Halpert nailed a shot from beyond the arc to give Yeshiva its largest lead of the evening, 58-23, with 17:28 remaining in regulation time. The Panthers went on a 17-4 run to narrow the Macs’ lead to 70-56 with 6:58 left to play. However, Yeshiva was able to regain control of the game and steadily increase its lead throughout the remainder of the contest. The Maccabees went on to earn the key Skyline win, 86-61.

For the game, sophomore forward Daniel Katz and classmate Tyler Hod each scored four points, with the former grabbing three rebounds and distributing just as many assists. Junior forward Tal Gweta scored two points and grabbed five boards, while sophomore forward Kevin Bokor had three rebounds with two assists. Freshman guard Sammy Mandel had two caroms, while junior guard Justin Hod had a board and an assist. Freshman guard Yoav Deutsch brought down a rebound of his own.

Yeshiva will look to make it seven wins in a row on Thursday, as the Maccabees will return to the friendly confines of the Max Stern Athletic Center to take on St. Joseph’s College Brooklyn, in another Skyline contest. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00 p.m.

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