NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Tuesday night Ivy League basketball suits Yale just fine. Particularly
Azar Swain. Swain scored a career-high 37 points as the Bulldogs rolled to an 83-72 victory over Columbia at the John J. Lee Amphitheater.
Swain was 14-of-20 from the field, including 6-of-8 from three-point range. He is the first Bulldog to score 35 or more points in a game since Miye Oni had 35 against Princeton in 2019, and nearly became the first Bulldog to reach 40 since John Lee in 1958.
"It was a pleasure to be a part of that," said
James Jones, the Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "It was fun to watch."
Swain had plenty of support.
Jalen Gabbidon added 20 points on 7-of-10 shooting and
Matt Knowling had nine points, eight rebounds and four assists.
Yale (9-9, 3-1 Ivy) wasted little time seizing control.
Matthue Cotton's three-pointer put the Bulldogs in front 20-5 just eight minutes in.
Swain was nearly unstoppable in the opening 20 minutes. He capped his 24-point half by hitting a three-pointer as time expired that gave Yale a 46-28 lead at the break.
"We've been trying to play fast to get into the flow of our offense," Jones said. "We did a pretty good job, especially to start the game."
The second half was more of the same. Columbia made a couple of runs but never got closer than 11.
The Bulldogs rebounded well from Saturday's loss at Penn.
"It was a nice bounce-back win," said Gabbidon, who has scored at least 20 points in back-to-back games.
Yale now turns its attention to Saturday's game at first-place Princeton (5-0 Ivy). Tipoff at Jadwin Gym is slated for 4 p.m.
Tuesday's win was special for another reason. Jones and his staff are proudly participating in the American Cancer Society's Coaches vs. Cancer - Suits and Sneakers Week by wearing their Under Armour sneakers to raise awareness about the fight against cancer and inspire hope. Their efforts, along with Coaches vs. Cancer supporters nationwide, will help the American Cancer Society attack cancer from every angle and provide support to millions of cancer patients living in the U.S. today. Jones had his mother's name on his shoes. She passed away from the dreaded disease.
"It was in tribute to her," Jones said. "It made me feel like she was with me."
