CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – In preparing for Saturday's game at North Carolina, the Yale women's basketball team spent plenty of time studying film. But it wasn't all about scouting the Tar Heels. A few hours before the game, the Bulldogs watched footage from the last game Yale played at UNC -- Nov. 22, 2015, a close 70-63 loss that was a two-possession game with two minutes to play.
Allison Guth, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Basketball, wanted her current players to draw upon the example set by their predecessors and take on the Tar Heels fearlessly.
"I thought it would be really motivating to our players," said Guth. "This is about family, and who we represent."
The fired-up Bulldogs took that message to heart right from the start of Saturday's game, jumping out to a 21-9 lead after the first quarter. And they withstood UNC's eventual response, an 18-5 run that gave the Tar Heels a 50-47 lead with less than eight minutes to play. Junior guard
Ellen Margaret Andrews' steal and layup with 1:38 to play broke a 57-57 tie, and the Yale defense later denied a UNC possession in the final seconds to seal a 66-63 win. This was UNC's first loss at home this season; its only other loss was on the road at Alabama.
"This was a total team win," said Guth. "We had individuals who stepped up big time."
Andrews was one of those players, finishing with 24 points along with six rebounds. Her three steals were a big part of the Bulldogs' defensive effort, holding UNC to its lowest point total of the season -- eight points lower than the previous low. Yale limited the Tar Heels to 29.5% shooting.
"Ellen Margaret's being aggressive, she's playing to her potential, she's being smart about utilizing her skills," said Guth. "She just outworks people. When you combine the skill level with the work ethic, you get a really special player. And that's what you get in Ellen Margaret."
Andrews had six points in the first quarter, including a layup three minutes in that capped an 8-0 Yale run. That lead grew as large as 14 before UNC began gradually cutting away at it, trimming it to 30-28 on a buzzer-beating three-pointer before halftime.
The Tar Heels -- coached by Courtney Banghart, who coached at Yale's Ivy League rival Princeton from 2007-08 through 2018-19 and led the Tigers to eight NCAA Tournament appearances -- briefly tied the game early in the third before the Bulldogs built the lead back up to 10. But Carolina responded with a 12-2 run to tie the game again.
The reason the Bulldogs came to Carolina was to bring sophomore guard
Robin Gallagher -- a native of nearby Cary -- back home. Playing in front of numerous friends and relatives, Gallagher came on near the end of the third quarter, shortly after Yale went back up by one. She remained in until early in the fourth, picking up one rebound.
The lead changed hands multiple times in the fourth, with neither team going up by more than three until the final 30 seconds.
Yale hit a bump in the road with 3:10 to play when sophomore forward
Camilla Emsbo fouled out, putting one of the Bulldogs' top scorers -- and their only starter taller than 6-foot-1 -- on the bench. Against a Tar Heel team with three players six-foot-two or taller averaging double digits, her absence could have been the Bulldogs' downfall. But junior forward
Alex Cade was ready, stepping in to provide the defensive presence the Bulldogs needed. Her steal with 21 seconds left and Yale up by three proved crucial, as she was fouled and sank both free throws.
"We are such a team that we understand that we have depth, and the next woman is ready to step up to the challenge," said Guth. "
Alex Cade deserved every minute she had out there. We have all the faith and trust in her. I thought she was fantastic. Not only does she make her free throws down the stretch, but she makes a big-time defensive stop."
After Cade's free throws put Yale up by five UNC (9-2, 0-0 ACC) got three free throws from guard Leah Church to close within two. With four seconds left Andrews hit one free throw, and after she missed the second the Tar Heels were forced to try a heave from half-court that fell well short.
Yale has now won five of its last six. In addition to Andrews, the Bulldogs were led offensively by senior guard
Roxy Barahman (16 points, 10 rebounds, five assists and only one turnover). Guth pointed to Barahman's defensive work, particularly late on UNC guard Shayla Bennett, as key.
"What I'm really happy with was her defensive, on-ball pressure," said Guth. "We told her to lock in, to try to get Bennett out of the lane and pressure her near the end. I thought she did a tremendous job with that."
And while the current Bulldogs enjoyed the victory, Guth was quick to credit the work of that earlier Bulldog squad and others in leading to moments like Saturday's post-game celebration.
"This win is as much for the players that have come before them, putting in the groundwork to lay the foundation for what this program and culture is all about," said Guth. "[In showing them footage from the 2015 game] I wanted them to be inspired by the fearlessness that team played with, as well as the aggressiveness. I think that they love they have for each other, that was really inspiring for them to say 'Hey, I want to be on this highlight reel five years from now.'"
Yale returns to New Haven to take on Wagner Tuesday afternoon.
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