Often hailed for their passing, the Macs were beaten at their own game by the Farmingdale State Rams on Saturday night. Matan Zucker put up a double-double and Zevi Samet gathered 31 points, but they were no use, as the Rams cruised to an 80-69 victory. The Rams, powered by a collection of stellar performances, easily pushed past a struggling Yeshiva defense.
Samet opened up the scoring around a minute into the game. The Rams quickly followed that up with a layup from Aaron Davis to tie it up. After the Rams managed to jump ahead, Dothan Bardichev stepped up to even the score at seven apiece with a three-pointer. Yeshiva was soon able to garner a modest lead of its own, which Farmingdale soon quashed by going on a layup and jumper-filled 11-0 run. While the Macs struggled on defense, the Rams continued to pile on two-pointers, allowing themselves to maintain a lead for the remainder of the half.
Opening the second half five points ahead, the Rams quickly extended their lead and spent the first 10 minutes with a 10-point lead. After the Macs went on a small run and got within six points, the Rams responded by maximizing their lead to 16 points. With a couple of minutes to go, Yeshiva founds its stride on offense, but it was too little, too late.
Macs’ Defensive Shortcomings
The Macs exhibited glaring struggles in their ability, or lack thereof, to defend against the Rams. In its young season, Farmingdale State has carried a 39.3 FG% and a 29.3 3PT%. In this matchup, however, the Rams shot at a far superior rate, with their two-pointers dropping 51.9% of the time and their three-pointers being good 44.4% of the time.
Foul Trouble
In part responsible for their loss is the Macs' consistent allowance of free throws. The Rams allowed the Macs eight free throw opportunities, whereas the Rams were handed a whopping 22 chances from the foul line. Farmingdale State took advantage of this and achieved success on 16 of their free throws.
For Farmingdale State College (2-1, 1-0 Skyline):
Nick Hurowitz led the Rams with 21 points, landing seven of his 10 field goals. The senior also collected seven rebounds and five assists.
Corey Powell closely followed Hurowitz with 17 points of his own.
Jevon Santos collected 16 points, seven assists, and three rebounds.
The Rams were good on 51.9% of field goals, 44.4.2% of three-pointers, and 72.7% of their free throws.
For Yeshiva (2-3, 1-1 Skyline):
Samet once again led the Macs in scoring, with 31 points. However, he did struggle a little, only hitting 12 of 29 overall and three of 11 three-pointers
Zucker gathered 11 points, 10 assists, and nine rebounds amidst his double-double.
The Macs shot 41.2% field goals, with 26.9% from behind the arc, and made six of eight free throws.
Up Next:
On Tuesday of the upcoming week, the Macs head to Purchase College to face to Panthers in another Skyline Conference game. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 PM in the Purchase College Gymnasium.
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We need to be patient. This group will get better. They played some nice defense and hung in with a really good team. Does anyone know why Zevi changed his jersey at halftime? That’s a new one on me. Maybe he thought that it would help him sink a few more shots.