The Yeshiva University mens basketball team earned an impressive Skyline victory over the Sage Colleges, 80-70, at Kahl Gym on Sunday afternoon. With the win, Yeshiva now clinches a berth in the upcoming Skyline Conference Championships for the second season in a row.
“The guys are working hard,” Yeshiva head coach Elliot Steinmetz said. “While it’s great that we’ve clinched the postseason, we would love to work for a home game and get the University behind us in that game. The school and the program deserve that.”
Leading the way for Yeshiva (13-9, 11-6 Skyline) was senior guard Shaje Weiss, who produced a game-high 23 points, grabbed eight rebounds, dished out five assists and forced three steals. Freshman guard Judah Cohen added 18 points, and shot a perfect 5-5 from three-point range. As a team, the Maccabees shot 77.8% from beyond the arc.
Yeshiva got off to a slow start, trailing by as many as six just two minutes into the contest. The Maccabees battled back; a three-point field goal by Cohen put Yeshiva in the lead, 21-19, with 9:22 remaining in the opening half. After Sage (16-8, 14-5 Skyline) tied the game at 23, a free throw by junior guard Jordan Hod put Yeshiva ahead for good, with 5:57 left in the first stanza. The Maccabees outscored the Gators 18-10 for the remainder of the half to extend their lead to 42-33 at the intermission.
In the second half, Sage went on a run and pulled within four at 46-42 with 14:05 left to play in regulation time. However, Yeshiva regained control of the game. A three-point field goal by Cohen highlighted a 14-7 run that extended the Maccabees’ lead to 60-49 with 8:33 remaining. Later in the stanza, the Gators managed to pull within seven, 68-61, with less than five minutes left. Weiss put Sage’s momentum to a screeching halt when he converted a layup while drawing a foul. By hitting the free throw, he completed the traditional three-point play, and put Yeshiva up by double-digits with 3:12 remaining. The Gators could not pull any closer as the Maccabees went on to win the game and clinch a playoff berth.
For the game, senior forward Shelby Rosenberg produced 15 points, while junior forward Michael Berg added 10 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and tallied three dimes. Senior forward Joseph Ammar scored 9 points.
YUMACS.com
