Leifer moves to no. 2 on program’s all-time rebounding list.
(yumacs.com) The nationally ranked no. 1 Yeshiva University men’s basketball team continued its winning ways on Saturday evening, defeating Medgar Evers College by a score of 104-59 at the Max Stern Athletic Center. The Maccabees remain undefeated at 13-0 and extend their historic winning streak to 49 games.
Graduate student Gabriel Leifer also made history on Saturday night as he moved ahead of Ayal Hod (‘89) for no. 2 on the program’s all-time career rebounding list with 1,111 boards. Hod snatched 1,109 rebounds during his playing days at YU. Leifer secured 11 rebounds during the game. The Lawrence native tied Hod by grabbing a defensive rebound with 17:10 left to play in regulation time. He clinched sole possession of second place by snatching a defensive board with 14:56 remaining in the game. During the contest, the reigning CoSIDA Academic All-America Team Member of the Year also dished out nine assists, scored five points and blocked three shots.
Yeshiva displayed balanced scoring as five players reached double-figures. Senior Ryan Turell led all scorers with 38 points, on 14-for-21 shooting from the field, including 6-for-10 from deep. The Los Angeles native also grabbed six rebounds, blocked two shots and dished out a pair of assists. Junior Ofek Reef netted 16 points, while sophomore Oren Betesh scored a career-high 12 points to go along with three rebounds. Graduate student Jordan Armstrong and senior Eitan Halpert each tallied 11 points with the former grabbing eight rebounds and the latter distributing six assists and forcing two steals.
The Maccabees got off to a sluggish start, falling behind by a score of 20-14 with 10:48 to play in the opening half. However, a layup courtesy of Turell began to turn the tide as that sparked a 12-0 run for the Blue and White, capped off by a 3-point field goal from Halpert, that put Yeshiva ahead for good at 26-20 with 7:28 to play in the period. Later in the half, Yeshiva scored 13 unanswered points that concluded with a traditional three-point play from Turell to pad its cushion to 42-24 with 2:06 remaining in the stanza. The Macs took a 49-28 advantage into the intermission.
YU increased its lead throughout the second half and went on to earn the non-conference victory.
For the Maccabees, senior Alon Jakubowitz and sophomore Adi Markovich each scored four points with the former grabbing five rebounds and the latter dishing out two assists. Junior Gabriel Landau drained a shot from downtown, while senior Aryeh Halpert clutched a rebound, distributed an assist and forced a steal.
