The Yeshiva University Maccabees on Saturday defeated Penn State Harrisburg 102-83 to reach the NCAA Division III Tournament Sweet 16 for the first time in YU history. It was the Maccabees’ 29th straight win in a record-breaking season.
The two teams played before empty bleachers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, because of coronavirus concerns. The only audience were the bench players for both teams. The Maccabees’ families followed the game from their hotel.
This is only the second time the YU basketball team qualifies for the NCAA tournament. In their first attempt, in 2018, they lost the opener to York College. This season, YU won the opening game against Worcester Polytechnic in a Friday game that ended just before Shabbat candle lighting. The Saturday night game against Johns Hokpins started two hours after the end of Shabbat.