Box Score Yale Finishes Tied For Third In Ivy League
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – On a night with the most sentimental value to the Yale women's basketball team, it turned in arguably its most dominant performance of the season, outplaying Dartmouth from start to end in a 53-28 trouncing on Saturday night.
With the win, the Bulldogs (13-15, 7-7 Ivy) finished the season with the same record as one year ago, but this time with a better place in the standings. The Elis finished in a tie for third place with Harvard, who matched Yale's 7-7 mark in league play.
The Bulldogs held the Big Green to a 22.2-percent shooting performance and allowed the Ivy League's top-scorer, Fanni Szabo, only two points on 1-of-13 shooting. The high-pressure defense by Yale also caused 22 Dartmouth turnovers, with 14 steals by the Elis.
"I think we were determined to win it on the defensive end of the floor. We knew they had great shooters, but they didn't shoot well," said Class of 1954, Joel E. Smilow head coach Chris Gobrecht. "I think sometimes on the second night of a back-to-back weekend, it's always a little harder to play offense, so you need to win it on the defensive side of the floor."
Freshman guard Tamara Simpson sparkled in the final game of her inaugural season, scoring 20 points on 10-of-16 shooting with six steals, both of which were game-highs. It was Simpson's first 20-point performance of the season.
Junior guards Whitney Wyckoff (West Chester, Ohio) and Nyasha Sarju (Seattle, Wash.) each scored 10 in the victory, combining to go 8-of-8 from the free throw line.
The Bulldogs showed an ability to get to the rim early and often, outscoring the Big Green 28-12 in the paint, mostly coming on fast-break baskets.
The most jarring difference of the night came in the rebounding column, where the Bulldogs held a monstrous 50-28 advantage, including a 22-9 edge in offensive rebounds. The 22 offensive boards are a season-high for Yale.
Six players had six rebounds or more for the Elis, including a game-high eight from junior center Emmy Allen (Overland Park, Kan.). Sophomore forward Katie Werner (Phoenix, Ariz.) pulled down seven more in the win.
The Bulldogs held the lead for the entire second half, watching it grow to 27 points with 54 seconds left in the game. Dartmouth managed only 13 total points in the second half, scoring only five in the first 14 minutes.
The Big Green shot 18.5-percent (5-of-27) from the field in the final 20 minutes, while being outrebounded, 22-14, and outscored, 31-13.
It was an 18-5 run by the Elis over the first 12 minutes that put the game out of reach for Dartmouth. Sarju scored all of her 10 points in the half.
Entering halftime with a 22-15 lead did not prove how entirely the Bulldogs controlled the first half. Yale took 39 shots to Dartmouth's 18, due in large part to Gobrecht's squad attacking the offensive glass for 17 rebounds.
Simpson scored 16 of her 20 in the first half, which is when Yale held a 16-5 points-off-turnovers advantage over the Big Green.
"I was just very happy for this team. This is a very young team that has worked hard to try to get it right," said Gobrecht. "It was a good win, just being the things we need to be."
When it comes to having the same record as last season, Gobrecht sees improvement and is satisfied with the team's effort. "Considering we lost our best player and how young we are, as well as how much better the league is, I'm very happy with a third-place finish."
It was a special night in the Lee Amphitheater, as sole senior and team captain Sarah Halejian (Wyckoff, N.J.) was honored in a pregame ceremony for her outstanding contributions to the Yale women's basketball program over the last four seasons.
Halejian finished in 10th place on Yale's all-time scoring list with 1,226 points and is a three-time All-Ivy selection (All-Ivy First Team in her sophomore and junior seasons, Rookie of the Year in her first season).
The senior guard had her final season cut short due to injury, but Halejian looks to heal quickly and begin a professional basketball career overseas.
Escorted by her father, sister, and brother, Halejian was offered flowers and a framed photo of herself by Gobrecht in the pregame ceremony.
Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity
