The Macs sought their 40th consecutive victory as they traveled to St. Joseph’s College to take on the Golden Eagles. After a close first half, YU absolutely dominated the second half, outscoring St. Joseph’s 43-25. The Golden Eagles’ Spencer Malloy gave the Macs all they could handle, putting up 18 points in 29 minutes. The Macs were led by Ryan Turrell, who dropped 26, and Ofek Reef, who put up 18 on an efficient 6-9 shooting.

How It Happened:

The Macs came out of the gate hot with a Reef layup off the opening tip, just three seconds into the game.

There were many turnovers and missed open 3s from both teams in the first 10 minutes of action.

As the closely contested game continued, Reef and St. Joseph’s Spencer Malloy kept their respective teams in the ball game.

To end the first half, Turell started to heat up as he splashed in three triples to give the Macs a 39-33 lead after an ugly first half.

Turell and Reef led the Macs with 14 points each in the first half while Malloy led the Golden Eagles with 10 points in the first period.

YU started the second half on a whopping 19-0 run thanks to their swarming defense and three-point shot making.

The Macs forced 15 turnovers in the second half and allowed their first basket only at the 13:00 mark.

Turrell and Gabe Leifer’s stellar second half shooting made the lead too big for the Golden Eagles to overcome.

Forced Turnovers:

The Macs played aggressive and stifling defense all game long. They forced 15 second half turnovers and had 18 steals in the game. They scored 14 points off of 24 SJLIC turnovers. Ethan Lasko was amazing in the second half, picking up multiple steals which led to easy transition baskets for YU.

Hot Shooting Second Half:

The Macs shot 9-19 from downtown in the second half compared to their uncharacteristic 4-13 first half shooting. Turrell, Leifer and Eitan Halpert combined for 11 triples to secure the win for YU. This was a crucial part of why the Macs were able to run away with the game in the second half.

Ball Movement:

Once again, the Macs put on an absolute clinic passing the basketball, finishing with 23 assists in the game. Leifer led the team with seven dimes. The Macs assisted on 23 of their 28 made field goals. Against the zone defense it was important that the Macs moved the ball quickly until they got a good look.

For St. Joseph’s College – Long Island:

Spencer Malloy led the way with 18 points and 6 boards.

Anthony Ferrufino finished with a double-double, stacking up 12 points and 14 rebounds.

Jake Gaudiello went 2-2 from deep in the first half, but was kept silent in the second.

Three-point shooting was a struggle all game, as the Golden Eagles shot just 3-12 from deep.

For Yeshiva:

Turrell shined for the Macs, dropping 26 points and knocking down five 3-pointers.

Ofek found the soft spot in the Golden Eagle’s defense to get easy layups. He finished with 18 and was 6-6 from the charity stripe.

Leifer dropped nine points, seven assists and three rebounds.

Matan Zucker had 10 points and four rebounds off the bench.

Up Next for Macs:

Yeshiva will host College of Mount Saint Vincent at the MSAC this Tuesday, November 16, at 8:00 p.m. They seek their 41st straight victory. Follow the action with Macslive.

By Benjamin Kornblum