The Yeshiva University Maccabees edged the Bates Bobcats in the first round of the NCAA Division III Men’s Tournament in a nail-biting 71-69 victory, led by Zevi Samet’s 27 points.
Samet, a shooting guard from Monsey, New York, takes his nickname is honor of the Kobe Bryant but plays more like Steph Curry. Samet hit seven three pointers, including five in a short span in the first half. And he broke past the defense for a layup to end the first half.
Samet had 21 points at halftime, and when play resumed, the Bates Bobcats clamped down on Samet making things tougher. Athletic guard Jamari Robinson helped lead Bates to a second half comeback, and led his team with 19 points. Feisty guard Sean O’Leary had 13.
Though Samet tossed an airball from beyond the 3-point arc and had a missed layup, with Yeshiva trailing 67-66, Samet showed he did not want this to be his last game. The 6’2’’ guard, defended by 6’7’’ forward Babacar Pouye, calmly stepped back to drill a three that gave YU a two-point lead. Bates College tied the score at 69, but senior guard Max Zakheim took down a rebound and was fouled with only .2 seconds remaining. With the pressure on Zakheim sank the first free throw. It appeared as though he intentionally tried to miss the second, it the ball went in. The Bobcats were unable to score. Samet finished with a game-high 27 points. Forward Roy Itcovichi grabbed 12 rebounds and scored nine points. Guard Yair Dovrat had 13 points, five rebounds and five assists. The YU defense forced 13 turnovers. Coached by Elliot Steinmetz, Samet and Zakheim showed poise and precision in clutch time.
In a post-game interview with a student reporter, Samet was humble about reaching 2,500 points – an all-time YU record; he eclipsed legend Ryan Turell earlier in the season. Samet is the top scorer in the Skyline Conference and was the Conference Player of The Year for the second year in a row.
“These guys are special, we battled this season,” Samet said of the Macs who have now have a 15-game winning streak and played tough nonconference opponents in NYU and Tufts University. “We played really tough teams. It’s very easy to lose confidence. We stayed together as a team. We came to March looking to win some games.
“You know a lot of us are just seniors and we’re just living the moment and we don’t want it to end,” Samet said …We want to play all the way to the final four to the national championship game…”
Earlier in the season, Samet set another school record, scoring 52 points in a game. He’s perfected an off-balance three-point shot but can also cut to the basket if defenders focus on denying him his outside shot. He credited it to health and God and the people around him.
“I mean, It’s definitely cool it’s all blessings to God,” Samet said. “At the end of the day, I’ve played over 100 games and I’ve been healthy every single game. It’s all blessings to God. I feel really appreciative to God. I think it’s more just showing up every day. I got amazing coaches another great captain, amazing teammates that believe in me, my parents, my trainers, and you know when you want to achieve anything, remember this line: ‘anything worth anything requires hard work…”
