In a heated battle between the top two teams in the Skyline Conference, the Farmingdale State Rams topped the Yeshiva Maccabees 79-75. The Rams took the lead early and continued to shoot the ball well throughout, growing their lead to 16 before a ferocious comeback attempt by the Macs came up just short. Yeshiva took the lead with just over a minute left, but the Rams were unfazed, immediately retaking the lead and holding on for the victory.
How it Happened:
Dominique Senat started the game with a baseline jumper to give the Rams an early 2-0 lead.
Farmingdale State hit their first 7 shots including 5 threes to extend their lead to 19-12.
Ryan Turell hits a layup with 8:16 left in the half to trim the lead to 28-26 after 3 Yeshiva offensive rebounds on the possession.
Gabe Leifer finished a fast break layup to tie the game at 32 with just under 5 minutes left in the first half.
Senat scored the first 5 points of the second half to put the Rams up by 12 early in the second half
Turell connected on a heavily contested 3 point shot to bring the Macs within 4 with 5 minutes left
Leifer hit a runner in the lane with 1:13 left to give the Macs their first lead of the game.
Hurowitz reclaimed the lead for his team, laying in the game winning layup with 58 seconds on the clock.
Three Point Shooting:
Both teams shot very well from beyond the arc, as the Yeshiva shot 52.6% and Farmingdale State an even better 58.8%. The Rams made their first 5 attempts as they built their early lead in the first 5 minutes, and the Macs shot their best as they attempted to come back, with Turell, Leifer, Eitan Halpert and Ethan Lasko connecting from deep down the stretch.
Defensive Struggles:
The Macs struggled defensively all night, giving Farmingdale State open looks which they continued to capitalize on throughout the game. The Rams shot very efficiently from the field, and the Macs inability to close out on jump shooters and prevent quality shots ultimately dug them a hole too deep to climb out of. An uncharacteristic 18 personal fouls by the Macs certainly didn’t help.
For Farmingdale State (14-7, 10-2):
Nick Hurowitz hit the game winning shot with under a minute left, capping off his team-leading 15 point performance.
Aaron Davis added 14 points, shooting a perfect 3-for-3 from three point land.
Dominique Senat was a force inside, scoring 13 points and grabbing 6 rebounds.
For Yeshiva (18-2,11-1):
Ryan Turell paced the Macs with 21 points to go along with 6 assists on the night.
Gabe Leifer surpassed 1,500 points for his career, scoring 15, as well as grabbing 6 rebounds and dishing out 8 assists.
Matan Zucker had a strong game in the paint, scoring 10 and grabbing 6 rebounds, 3 of which were on the offensive end, leading to crucial second chance points for the Macs.
Up Next:
The Macs take on The College at Old Westbury on the road on Wednesday night. Tip off is scheduled for 8PM.
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