Box Score Box Score
 
NEW YORK (Feb. 24, 2021) – The USMMA men's basketball team had #6 Yeshiva out of sorts in the first half on Wednesday night, taking a lead late in the frame in search of an upset before going into halftime tied at 31-31. However, the Maccabees used a very strong second half to earn a 77-58 win on their home court inside the Max Stern Athletic Center in the Washington Heights section of Manhattan.
 
Senior James Walsh (Huntington, N.Y.) drained 16 of his 22 points in the second half, as he led the Mariners in scoring on the night, while junior Blaine McDonough (Marietta, Ga.) added 10 points.
 
Freshmen Brice Bristow (Plano, Texas) and Gavin Green (Flower Mound, Texas) both chipped in with eight points apiece, with Bristow also leading the team with seven rebounds, five assists and three blocks. Junior Jack Bucher (Carlisle, Pa.) contributed seven points and a game-high four steals.
 
The Macs built their lead up to 10 points, 21-11, at 9:06 of the first half, but Merchant Marine kept forcing turnovers and chipping away into Yeshiva's lead until the visitors were able to tie the score late twice. Then, down by two, Green connected on a three-pointer to give the Mariners their first lead of the night, 30-29, at 1:14. After a free throw by McDonough, the Maccabees got a late layup by junior Ryan Turell to tie it up before halftime.
 
USMMA grabbed the lead again with the first basket of the second half, and play was back-and-forth throughout the first three minutes before Yeshiva started to pull away. After falling behind double-digits at 12:27, 51-39, the Mariners were able to fight back to within just six points with 7:49 to play when a jumper by Walsh made it 54-48.
 
The Maccabees started to connect from long distance, hitting 8-of-13 three-point attempts in the second half, including six treys in the final 7:35 to take command of the game.
 
Turell led all players on the night with 30 points for Yeshiva, while also bringing down seven rebounds. Senior Gabriel Leifer recorded a double-double with 20 points and a game-high 16 boards, and was just two assists shy of a triple-double with eight. Senior Eitan Halpert rounded out the double-digit scorers with 12 points to go along with seven assists.
 
The Mariners return to action this weekend when they play host to Connecticut College on back-to-back days Saturday and Sunday, Feb. 27-28, beginning with Saturday's contest starting at 1 p.m. at the Liebertz Gymnasium. Live stats and a live video feed of the game will be available with links on the USMMA Men's Basketball Schedule Page.
 
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