Basketball Team Kicks off Season With Win over Gallaudet
The Yeshiva University Maccabees kicked off the 2015-2016 basketball season against the Gallaudet University Bison, a school designed to accommodate the deaf and hard of hearing. In an exciting game, the Macs pulled out a victory, winning 78-64, to start off the season on the right foot.
From the starting tip until the final buzzer, the Macs never trailed the Bison. Yeshiva University started off the game on an 11-4 run, forcing Gallaudet to call a timeout. After five minutes the Macs led 16-6. Thanks to the stifling defense of senior Shelby Rosenberg, and sophomore Judah Cohen, the Macs half-court press was in full force. The strong defense forced Gallaudet to commit numerous turnovers, leading to several uncontested transition points.
At half time the Macs led 40-29, and seemed pleased with their first half performance. Their resilient defense, smart shot selection and success in transition all contributed to the team’s first half lead. Sophomore shooting guard Jamie Cappell, who was sidelined with a knee injury, was confident of the team’s prospects at half time saying: “I think if we keep up the tough defense in the second half, then we have a great shot at winning the game.”
As the second half began, Gallaudet slowly chipped away at the 11-point deficit. The Bison mustered up a monumental effort in the second half, at one point putting the game within four. Trey Gordon led Gallaudet with 16 points, along with Todd Bonheyo, who dropped 12.
Commenting on the Gallaudet surge, sophomore shooting guard Justin Hod said, “I started to get nervous for a minute. One minute we were up by eleven, and all of a sudden it was a two possession game.”
By the end of the game however, the Macs held on to win it, earning themselves a well fought victory. The Macs had a very well balanced scoring game, including four players scoring in double digits. Leading the charge was Shelby Rosenberg who had 20 points, followed by Michael Berg who contributed 17, and Joseph Ammar who added 13, including multiple three pointers. If this game is an indicator of Yeshiva University’s season, there is much to look forward to.
