New York, NY-- The Sage Colleges' men's basketball team travelled to Yeshiva University for the team's 2012-2013 Skyline Conference opener. Yeshiva collected the 79-73 win to improve to 1-4 overall and 1-1 in the Skyline Conference, while the Gators drop to 3-2 overall and 0-1 in the conference. The loss snaps the Gators' three-game win streak.
Yeshiva held a 37-36 lead at the intermission. In the second half, the host Maccabees held a 15-point lead (65-50, 10:10) and Sage cut it to a 10-point lead, giving Yeshiva a 65-55 lead with 8:12 left in the contest. With 7:19 left, senior center Ryan Sager (Stuyvesant, NY/Ichabod Crane) hit a pair of free throws to help the Gators go on an 8-0 run and pull the contest closer, pulling Sage within seven points (65-58).
Sager put up a jumper at the 4:20 mark and pulled Sage within five points (65-60). Junior guard Mason Horne (Albany, NY/LaSalle Institute) went to the line to shoot a pair of free throws at 4:14 and made the second making the score 67-64 and helped the Gators go on a 14-2 run and cut YU's lead to three points. Sage went to the line at 3:47 after cutting the score to a one-point lead for YU (67-66) and one an old-fashioned three-point play, missed the opportunity to tie the game.
Yeshiva never saw the action tied as they made it a two-possession game leading 72-68 at 1:58. Eckmann went to the line and hit one of two free throws at 1:36, giving the hosts a 73-68 lead.
A lay-up by Sage's junior Jeff Stopera (Scotia, NY/Scotia Glenville) cut the lead back to just three in under a minute left and the Gators took a time out. Bash put up a layup and gave his team a five-point lead before a Gator turnover. Gil Bash was later fouled on a defensive rebounding play and went to the line to shoot a pair as they were in the double-bonus and he made one of two shots, giving his team a six-point lead.
Stopera made a clutch three-point basket and pulled the Gators within four points before senior forward Matt Farbotko (Rouses Point, NY/Northeastern Clinton) and Horne both fouled out in the final 20 seconds of play. Horne finished with a team-best 16 points, while Farbotko added 15 points. He is closing in on becoming the first Gator 1,000 point scorer as he now has 916 points. Sager tallied 14 points while sophomore guard Troy Nwanna (Washington, DC/Mercersburg Academy) added 12 points.
YU's Dovie Hoffman netted a game-high 25 points, while three others also had double-digit scoring efforts. Gil Bash had 15 points, while both Shlomo Weissberg and Benjy Ritholtz each had 10 points in the action.
Sage returns to action on December 4 hosting St. Joseph's (LI) in a Skyline Conference contest in the Kahl Gym at 7 p.m.
