GAME PREVIEW: Mens Basketball vs. Moravian College- 12/19/18

By Roey Herzfeld

On Wednesday night the Yeshiva University Maccabees will look to continue their red hot play as the Moravian College Hounds visit the Max Stern Athletic Center in what should be a close matchup. Both teams are riding long winning streaks with the Macs at six in a row and the Hounds at seven. For one of these teams, the winning streak will continue, while the other one falls in defeat. Look for a tight matchup with both teams playing at the top of their game. Here are some keys to the game.

1. Macs Injuries: While the Macs have not skipped a beat since Freshman Guard Daniel Tzion’s injury, they may have more injuries to deal with tonight. Freshman phenom Ryan Turell suffered a shoulder injury in practice and his playing status remains in doubt. Look to see how Turell responds to the injury vs Moravian College.
2. Senior Duo: Most of the Hounds scoring is provided by the Senior Duo of Forward Oneil Holder and Guard Jimmy Murray. In Saturday Night’s comeback victory vs Muhlenberg, Holder lead the Hounds with 26 points and 11 rebounds while Murray added another 23 points. Murray is averaging close to 15 points on the year and Holder with 17. These two need to play a big role if the Hounds want to keep pace with the Macs explosive offense.
3. Defensive Weapon: Due to the need for better defensive play, Coach Elliot Steinmetz turned to Freshman Guard Jeffrey Owen early in the year. Owen rewarded Coach Steinmetz with excellent play on both ends of the floor and has seen a recent rise in his minutes. In limited playing time, Owen is already fifth best on the team in steals and has raised his scoring to above 3 points per game. But Owen’s most valuable skill is the hustle and relentless energy he plays with, which energizes his teammates and the crowd. Owen’s play has been crucial to the Macs’ winning streak and expect Owen to continue to make an impact against Moravian.

This non-conference matchup will test the Macs and their winning ways. A huge game and a chance to see how ready these Macs are for Division III tournament play if they so make it this season. Tipoff is at 8, and you can catch all of the action, as you always can, on macslive.com or on Facebook!