NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women's basketball team is taking on a challenging schedule in 2019-20, including six games against teams that played in the NCAA Tournament last year. The Bulldogs face one of the biggest of those challenges Tuesday, playing No. 11 UCLA at Pauley Pavilion (7:00 p.m. Pacific Time,
Pac-12 Networks, Live Audio). The Bruins made their fourth straight trip to the Sweet 16 last season and are unbeaten to start 2019-20.
Homecoming
The Bulldogs arrived in California Sunday, bringing three players back to their home state:
- First year guard Klara Astrom (Menlo Park, Calif.) was a two-time captain and first team All-Bay Area selection at Pinewood School, where she helped the team win four league championships and two CA Open NorCal championships.
- Senior guard Roxy Barahman (Calabasas, Calif.) was a three-time captain and All-CIF Southern Section selection and helped Oaks Christian to the state tournament.
- First year forward Ayla Elam (Woodside, Calif.) helped Miramonte advance to the semifinals of the state tournament her senior year. She also played for Head-Royce School and Menlo School.
The Bulldogs will celebrate Thanksgiving in Barahman's hometown of Calabasas, which is 30 miles from Los Angeles.
Last Game
Yale (3-1, 0-0 Ivy League) won at Northeastern Saturday, outscoring the Huskies 24-8 in the second quarter to take control of the game. Senior guard
Roxy Barahman (Calabasas, Calif.) led all players in points (29) and assists (four). Sophomore forward
Camilla Emsbo (Lakewood, Colo.) led all players in rebounds (10) and blocks (four). The Bulldogs shot a season-best .850 (17 for 20) from the free throw line.
Four Score
Yale has four players averaging at least 9.8 points per game:
Last year Yale only had one player average at least 9.8 points per game -- Barahman (18.6 ppg) and Emsbo (11.0 points per game).
Emsblocks
Sophomore forward
Camilla Emsbo (Lakewood, Colo.) led all players with four blocks in Saturday's win at Northeastern. She now has three straight games with at least four blocks, and 15 blocks for the season. Her 3.75 blocks per game place her fifth nationally.
Emsbo had five blocks at Colgate and at UMass Lowell. The last Yale player to have five blocks in a game was
Haywood Wright '10, who had five blocks at Brown Jan. 15, 2010.
Road Trip
These three games in California are the end of a stretch of six straight road games for Yale. The Bulldogs play in three different states -- California, Massachusetts and New York -- during that stretch while traveling approximately 6,600 miles in 17 days. The stretch started at Colgate and continued with games at UMass Lowell and Northeastern last week. After Tuesday's game at UCLA, the Bulldogs will remain in LA and play Fresno State and LMU in LMU's Thanksgiving Classic Friday and Saturday.
Scouting UCLA
UCLA (4-0, 0-0 Pac-12) has won its first four games in dominant fashion, scoring at least 85 points three times and never allowing more than 58 points. The Bruins have won 65 of their last 73 games at Pauley Pavilion, including seven in a row. Forward Michaela Onyenwere, an All-Pac-12 selection last season, leads the team in scoring (15.0 points per game) and is shooting 53.2% from the field. Last year she became the fourth Bruin in program history to score 600 or more points in a single season.
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