The Macs started the season strong with a 90-54 win over the Lycoming College Warriors, extending their win streak to 37. They now have the second-longest win streak in Division III history.
How it happened:
Yeshiva opened up the game 13-5 with six early points from Ofek Reef.
Lycoming evened the score at 16 off of two three-pointers by Dyson Harward and Steven Hamilton.
Back-to-back three-pointers from Gabe Leifer and Eitan Halpert broke the scoring drought, giving the Macs a 22-16 lead.
Lycoming big man D’Andre Edmond got hit with a technical foul for taunting, igniting a massive run from Yeshiva.
Yeshiva then found their rhythm, led by Ryan Turell, who scored 15 points during a 31-5 run and ended the first half with a score of 47-21.
Yeshiva shot 59% from the field and hit on four of their nine attempts from downtown in the first half, while Lycoming struggled to get going, shooting just 25% from the field.
The second half opened up with some back-and-forth action as both teams found ways to score early.
Turell continued his dominance and exposed any one-on-one matchup he got, scoring 17 of his 32 points in the second half.
Lycoming put together a much better second half and scored 33 points, but it wasn’t enough to get back into the game against the #2 team in the country.
Dominating the Paint
The Macs absolutely dominated the paint in this matchup. They outscored Lycoming 52-22 in paint points, which ended up making all the difference. The presence of newcomer Jordan Armstrong was felt immediately in this one as he got off to a strong start, scoring on a nice baby hook early in the first half and finishing a tough and one early in the second half. Matan Zucker also contributed some inside scoring for Yeshiva off the bench with three offensive boards and a couple of nice finishes inside.
Turell’s Isolation Dominance
The Pre-Season All American picked up right where he left off last season, scoring 32 points and shooting 70% from the field. Turell just dominated every one-on-one matchup he got. The turnaround mid-range jumper was on point in this game— and with his size and length, it’s unstoppable.
Playing Disciplined Defense
The Macs were dominant on defense in this game, holding Lycoming to a 29% field goal percentage. They stopped the Warriors scoring attack early, allowing just 21 points in the first half. The Macs’ defense forced 15 turnovers, led by Ethan Lasko with five steals in his Yeshiva debut.
For Lycoming:
The three-point shooting was great for the Warriors at the beginning of the game. Senior guard Matt Ilodigwe started them off with a three-pointer early, followed by three-pointers from Dyson Harward and Steven Hamilton.
Once Yeshiva’s defense turned up the intensity, the Lycoming starters struggled to get going, shooting a combined 11 for 41 from the field for the game and committing nine turnovers.
Bench guards Brendon Blackson and Mavin James gave Lycoming something to be excited about with their effort tonight. They both hit two three-pointers and combined for 18 points.
It was certainly an off night for the Warriors, as they shot 29% from the field and 22.6% from behind the arc.
For Yeshiva:
The Macs looked great in their first game of the season, led by Ryan Turell, who scored 32 points with incredible efficiency.
The Macs got great production from guards Ofek Reef and Eitan Halpert, who scored 16 and 13 points, respectively. Reef was more aggressive, attacking the basket, while Halpert played his role of long-range sniper and connected on all three of his three-point attempts.
Matan Zucker contributed nicely off the bench, adding seven points and grabbing seven rebounds, three of which were offensive, and gave the Macs another possession.
The Macs shot 58.5% overall and 41.2% from behind the arc.
Up next for the Macs:
The Macs are back in action tomorrow against Penn State Schuylkill for the second game of a back-to-back. Watch the game live here.