PHILADELPHIA – The Yale women's basketball team battled back from a 19 point deficit Tuesday night at Drexel, taking the lead in dramatic fashion heading into the fourth quarter. But the Dragons answered with a comeback of their own late in the game, using a 7-0 run to take a 53-49 lead with 2:28 to play. After sophomore guard
Jenna Clark hit her fourth three-pointer of the night and got the Bulldogs within one, Drexel scored the game's final six points to salt away a 59-52 win.
Yale (6-5, 0-0 Ivy League) had an early 8-5 lead before Drexel went on an extended run. The Dragons outscored the Bulldogs 26-4 from midway through the first quarter until midway through the second, when Clark started a 12-0 Yale run with five points in 62 seconds.
That run left Yale with a manageable 33-24 deficit at halftime, and the Bulldogs then put on a dominant display in the third quarter. They limited the Dragons to just eight points on 3-for-11 (.273) shooting, forcing six Drexel turnovers. Meanwhile junior forward
Camilla Emsbo scored 12 of her 21 points for the night in that quarter, including a layup with five seconds left that gave the Bulldogs a 42-41 lead heading into the fourth.
Drexel (8-2, 0-0 CAA) went back ahead on a three-pointer 37 seconds into the fourth, and after the teams traded baskets Yale had one more good run. Senior guard/forward
Robin Gallagher sparked it, first by getting an offensive rebound to set up Clark for a three and then by making a layup to put the Bulldogs ahead 49-46 with 4:56 to play.
After a Drexel timeout, however, the Dragons reeled off seven straight points while Yale missed a pair of shots. Clark's three with 2:17 left got Yale within 53-52 and the Bulldog defense forced a shot clock violation, but a Yale turnover led to a Drexel three with 46 seconds left. Another Yale turnover then forced the Bulldogs to start fouling, and Drexel made three free throws in the final 36 seconds to clinch the win.
Emsbo had a team-best nine rebounds to go with her 21 points, while Clark had seven assists to go with her 16 points. The Bulldogs had 16 assists for the second straight game, and committed just 10 turnovers – their second-lowest total this season.
"I am very proud of our team's fight against a senior-led, very experienced team," said
Allison Guth, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Basketball.
Yale returns to action on Tuesday Dec. 28, hosting Army West Point at 5:00 p.m.
