On Wednesday night, February 9th, the Yeshiva Maccabees will travel to The College at Old Westbury to take on the Panthers. The honeymoon stage is over for the Macs as they dropped their second game of the season in their game against Farmingdale State this past Saturday night at the MSAC. The Macs come into this game 18-2 and are ranked 15th in the D3 polls. They defeated the Panthers back in early December but have been struggling as of late, losing twice in their past six games. The Panthers come into this game with a 9-10 overall record, including a 5-7 mark in the Skyline Conference. They are led by junior guard Zachary Cummings. Cummings averages 19.4 points per contest and shoots 43% from the field.
Keys to the game:
Defense:
In Yeshiva’s loss on Saturday night, they allowed Farmingdale State to score 79 points, shoot 56% from the field, 59% from deep, and attempt 23 free throws. It was surprising to witness since the Macs give up on an average of 61.5 points per game and force their opponents to shoot an abysmal 37% from the field. If the Macs want to pull away with the win they will need to defend at a higher level than they did against Farmingdale State.
Attack the Rim and Draw Fouls:
In each of the Macs two losses this season, they attempted only 13 free throws, four below their season average. The Macs’ potent motion offense they had in the beginning of the season disappears when opposing teams apply defensive pressure. Hopefully the Macs will move more without the ball and be the ones applying the pressure on the defense.
Ball Security:
Old Westbury forced Yeshiva into 17 turnovers the last time they faced off in early December. The Macs still went on to win that contest but they have not yet been consistent protecting the ball. They have had both twenty turnover games and single digit turnover games. The funny reality is that their high turnover games have all resulted in wins and they only have 24 combined turnovers in their 2 losses. Regardless of those stats, the Macs must be careful with the ball against Old Westbury to secure the victory.
How to Watch:
Tip off is scheduled for 8:00 and will be broadcast by The College at Old Westbury. You can watch here.
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