NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Throughout the first half of the season the Yale women's basketball team has featured one of the most potent offenses in the Ivy League; the Bulldogs were leading the Ancient Eight in scoring (74.7 points per game) entering Thursday's game vs. Mercer at Lee Amphitheater. And while the offense delivered again against the Bears, it was a series of big plays down the stretch by the defense that helped seal a 68-60 win -- Yale's seventh in the last eight games.
Yale (10-3, 0-0 Ivy League) fell behind late in the first and trailed for the entire second quarter, by as many as 11 points. But a stretch of six straight points by sophomore forward
Camilla Emsbo from late in the second into early in the third turned a 34-31 deficit into a 37-34 lead. From there, the Bulldogs and Bears began a see-saw battle.
Mercer (3-11, 0-0 SoCon) led 54-49 early in the fourth before two three-pointers from junior guard
Tori Andrew turned the tide back in Yale's favor. After that came the first of many big defensive plays down the stretch, as junior forward
Alex Cade blocked a shot with 5:33 left that could have given the lead right back to Mercer.
On a night where Emsbo shined -- registering her fifth double-double of the season, with 20 points and 11 rebounds -- Cade delivered some critical minutes while Emsbo was on the bench for part of the fourth quarter.
"Cade was playing well; she earned everything," said
Allison Guth, Yale's Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach of Women's Basketball. "That kid was working her tail off."
And after a free throw by senior guard
Roxy Barahman gave Yale a 59-58 lead with 2:37 to play, the Bulldogs reeled off a remarkable four steals -- and a block by Emsbo -- in a span of less than 90 seconds to help keep the lead intact. Mercer's only score in the final 2:37 of the game was a jumper in the waning seconds that made the final score 68-60.
Barahman had two of those steals (Andrew and junior guard
Ellen Margaret Andrews had the others), earning praise from Guth for more than her 17 points, nine rebounds and five assists (tied with senior forward
Megan Gorman for the team high).
"What you're seeing out of Roxy, in addition to the leadership piece of being a true point guard with five assists, is that her defensive pressure has been everything for us," said Guth. "That takes a lot out of someone. I'm so proud she's able to do that."
With the win, the Bulldogs tie the 1976-77 squad for Yale's best record ever after 13 games. They now have 15 days until their next game, against Brown, which marks the start of Ivy League play.
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