NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women's basketball team has a pair of games this week before an 11 day break for final exams. The Bulldogs visit Stony Brook Wednesday (1:00 p.m.,
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Last Game
Yale (2-7, 0-0 Ivy League) fell at Merrimack Sunday. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as 11 in the second quarter but rallied to take a 35-33 lead. Merrimack responded with an 11-0 run at the end of the first half, then went on to take the 84-73 win.
Bulldogs Among Ivy League Leaders
Yale is at or near the top of the Ivy League in these categories as a team:
- Offensive rebounding, 1st, 15.1 per game
- Steals, 2nd, 8.44 per game
- Turnover margin, 2nd, 2.22 per game
Battle for the Scoring Lead
Sophomore guard
Kiley Capstraw (West Orange, N.J.) and senior guard
Jenna Clark (Pittsburgh, Pa.) are neck-and-neck for the team scoring lead, with both having 122 points in nine games (13.6 points per game). Capstraw's season high in points is 21, set Dec. 1 vs. UMass. Clark's high is 25, set Nov. 17 at Lehigh.
Captain Clark On Pace to Set Career Marks
Senior point guard
Jenna Clark (Pittsburgh, Pa.), Yale's captain, is on pace for career highs in points per game (13.6), assists per game (6.9) and rebounds per game (5.6). She is also on pace for her best career performance from the free throw line, where she is currently shooting .769. Her previous single-season best was .662, last year. Clark has led the Ivy League in assists for the last two years – including a school-record 160 in 2021-22. She is currently third in the nation in assists with 62, trailing only Texas' Rori Harmon (73) and Iowa's Caitlin Clark (71).
McGill Among the Best on the Boards
Junior guard
Nyla McGill (Charlotte, N.C.), the reigning Ivy League Co-Defensive Player of the Year, is third in the Ivy League in rebounding, averaging 7.4 rebounds per game. Her single-game high this year is 11 rebounds (twice); her career high is 20 against Harvard Feb. 3, 2023.
Thybulle Providing More Scoring, Rebounding
Junior forward
Grace Thybulle (Irvington, N.Y.) has started the last four games. Year-to-year, she has improved her points per game (to 7.4 from 5.0) and rebounds per game (to 4.1 from 3.3) compared to last year, when she appeared in 25 games and made 10 starts.
Lesmond for Three
Sophomore guard
Lola Lesmond (Sanary, France), who missed all but one game of her first season, scored her first career basket Nov. 28 in the win vs. Marist. She did not wait long to score again. This past Sunday at Merrimack she went 4-for-5 from three for a career-best 12 points.
Home for the Holidays
Wednesday marks Yale's last road trip until Jan. 6, when the Bulldogs visit Harvard to start Ivy League play.
Strength of Schedule
Seven of Yale's non-conference opponents won 18 or more games last season, including this Wednesday's opponent Stony Brook.
Food Drive
Yale is hosting a food drive at home men's and women's basketball games from Nov. 28 through Dec. 9. The food will be donated to Loaves and Fishes, a nonprofit in New Haven.
Scouting Stony Brook
Stony Brook (6-1, 0-0 CAA) bounced back from its first loss of the season by beating Buffalo 83-52 last time out (Saturday). The Seawolves are led by guard Gigi Gonzalez, a third team All-CAA pick last year who paces the team in assists (36) and is second in scoring (14.6 points per game). Forward/center Khari Clark is the team's top scorer (15.1 ppg).
Scouting Providence
Providence (3-5, 0-0 Big East), which is in its first season under head coach Erin Batth, hosts Rhode Island Wednesday before visiting Yale Saturday. The Friars have already lost to a pair of Ivy League opponents, Brown (61-56 Nov. 15) and Columbia (77-52 Nov. 29).
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