The Macs are headed to the Skyline Conference Championship. Ryan Turell lit a fire under the offense with his 34 points on 12/17 shooting, while Gabe Leifer had a stellar overall night, posting a triple-double. Despite a bit of sloppiness in the first few minutes of the game, the Macs were soon able to get on track and push far past Mount Saint Vincent.
How it Happened:
After winning the tip, the Dolphins started the scoring on a jumper by Elijah McKenzie.
With just under 15 minutes to go, Leifer made a jumper from down low to earn a one-point lead over the Dolphins.
With 12:48 to go, Dillon Hod put Mount Saint Vincent back in the lead on a layup.
Turell finished off a 14-2 run for the Macs with a three-pointer with just over four minutes to go in the first half, securing a comfortable lead over the Dolphins which would last for the duration of the game.
With 7 minutes to go, the Macs began an 11-0 run capped off by an easy layup from Jordan Armstrong.
A dunk from Alon Jakubowitz, with 1:50 left, capped off the Macs’ 89-point effort, sending them to the conference championship.
Containment
The key to the game for the Dolphins was to contain Turell. It is safe to say that they failed at that by allowing Turell his 34 points. The Macs, on the other hand, did exactly what they needed to do on defense. They sufficiently contained the Dolphins’ best players; most notably holding Porcic to only 13 points after letting him reach 21 points last time they faced Mount Saint Vincent.
Three-Point Shooting
The Dolphins had a lot of trouble hitting shots from the paint and down low, leading them to attempt three-point shots. They, however, only managed to make four of their 20 three-point attempts. The inability to make these shots also allowed the Macs to get out in transition. As for the Macs, their offense got rolling as a result of Turell’s energizing three-point shooting in the middle of the first half.
Unselfish Macs
The Macs were masters of ball movement tonight. The shooting was spread out between several players. Furthermore, 24 of the Macs’ 33 shots were assisted. This constant movement led to the frequent inability of the Dolphins to catch up to the Macs.
For Mount Saint Vincent (10-15, 7-10 Skyline):
Hod led the Dolphins with 16 points, also producing two steals.
Porcic put up 13 points, led his team with nine rebounds, and also had two assists.
Elijah McKenzie had 10 points, five rebounds, and one block.
The Dolphins were 39.1% overall, 20% from behind the arc, and 61.5% on free throws.
For Yeshiva (24-3, 15-2 Skyline):
Leifer led the Macs in rebounds and assists with 11 and 10 respectively. Those, along with his 10 points, handed him a triple-double.
Turell led the Macs in scoring with 34 points and led the Macs with five steals.
Reef had a great night posting 18 points, while Armstrong scored 13.
The Macs shot 50% overall, 36.4% from behind the arc, and 57.7% on free throws.
Up Next:
As Leifer put it after the game, “Celebrate tonight, but now we’re focused on Sunday.” The Macs will face the Manhattanville Valiants this Sunday in the Max Stern Athletic Center at 1 PM, seeking the Skyline Conference Championship title.
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