On Tuesday night, the #17 Yeshiva University Maccabees will partake in their final road game against a Skyline Conference team this season. Their opponent will be the Old Westbury Panthers, who gave YU trouble when they came to the Max Stern Athletic Center in November. The Panthers have already clinched a playoff spot, and are currently the three seed, but a loss tonight and a Manhattanville victory would drop them to the four spot.
Seven players get quality minutes for Old Westbury. Three of them are freshman, all of whom have had a major impact on this team, particularly on the offensive glass. Pierrce Perry dominated the Macs inside in November, and threw down some thunderous dunks. However, for unclear reasons, he did not play on Saturday night, and only received 10 minutes last Tuesday; whether or not he sees the court tonight could have a major impact on the game’s outcome. 6’2”, 220 pound Jordan Johnson-Rader is grabbing almost as many offensive rebounds as defensive. Jonathan Jameison only saw eight minutes when these teams last faced off, but he has improved since, and is shooting 46% from the floor this season.
Seniors Justin Alleyne-Washington and Pedro Marquez are the leaders for the Panthers. Both like to slash to the bucket, but can shoot well from outside. Marquez leads Old Westbury in assists and points, while Alleyne-Washington is their top rebounder. Charles Wingate and Cameron Winston transferred to Old Westbury from Nassau Community College at the beginning of the season, and both have been key contributors to the Panthers. Winston is a strong, aggressive, 227 pound big man who likes to take it to the hole. Wingate is the Panthers’ best shooter, and he is knocking down 39.8% of his three-point attempts. However, the junior will not play tonight, as he arrived to the Clark Athletic Center on crutches.
The Panthers like to get out and run, and try to create early offense. This is also an athletic and quick team, which is full-court oriented, and performs better when running than when playing in a halfcourt offense. Defensively, Old Westbury is not afraid to change up their looks, and they are comfortable in both a 1-2-1-1 press and a man-to-man defense.
Keys to the Game:
1) Prevent early Panthers offense
There is no doubt about it, Old Westbury loves to run the court and play a fast-paced game
The Macs need to get back in transition, and force the Panthers to slow the ball down
This will allow for YU’s halfcourt defense to settle in, where the Macs are much better suited to stop Old Westbury from scoring
If the Panthers are unable to create early offense, the Old Westbury faithful will be in for a long night
2) Get points off the press
Old Westbury also loves to press opponents and speed up the game
The Macs should go north, not east-to-west, against the press, and try to score easy buckets off of a quick break
Doing this will allow Yeshiva to take advantage of all opportunities which will arise from the Panthers’ pressure
3) Box out
Boxing out has been a constant issue for the Macs this season
On Saturday night, against Farmingdale State, the Rams grabbed a ridiculous 17 offensive rebounds; two weeks ago, Mount Saint Vincent pulled down 17 as well
Last time these teams played, YU held the Panthers to just eight offensive rebounds, yet didn’t lead by more than five points until there were a few minutes left
Old Westbury loves to crash the boards, and if the Macs don’t box out, the Panthers’ athletic bigs will dominate the offensive glass
This Skyline Conference matchup will get underway at 8:00 PM. To watch Old Westbury’s broadcast of the game, click here. If you can’t tune in, but would like to follow along, click here to access our in-game scoreboard. After the game, be sure to return to MacsLive.com for our recap.
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