NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women's basketball team continues showing glimpses of the type of team it can be, but without the results to show for it. In the midst of falling to first-place Princeton on Saturday at Lee Amphitheater, the Bulldogs limited the Tigers to just one three-pointer (on eight attempts) – tying for Princeton's season low. Yale was within striking distance until a 19-6 third quarter gave the Tigers a commanding lead, and Princeton went on to win 68-42. Sophomore guard
Nyla McGill registered her eighth double-double of the season, leading Yale in points (11) and rebounds (14).
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Saturday's result marked a dramatic difference from the game between these teams three weeks ago, which Princeton won 79-30. In that game the Tigers got 21 points from three-point territory, but this time around the Bulldogs clamped down from beyond the arc.
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"Our game plan worked from the three-point line," said
Dalila Eshe, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Basketball. "What we didn't do was keep them from driving on us."
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Princeton (19-5, 10-2 Ivy League) had dominated Brown 80-37 on Friday night, but Yale (11-14, 5-7 Ivy League) kept the score close for much of the first half. The Tigers led by as many as 14 in the second quarter, but Yale answered with a 7-0 run capped by a McGill steal that led to a layup for sophomore guard
Avery Lee.
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The Tigers came out of the third quarter with a 51-27 advantage, but the fourth quarter was evenly played – Princeton outscored Yale 17-15.
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"We fought all the way through to the end," said Eshe. "From yesterday (vs. Penn) and today I saw our team's fight. We responded when adversity hit, which is a sign of us growing as a team."
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A bittersweet moment for Yale came with 1:28 to play when Princeton subbed in forward Kira Emsbo, twin sister of Yale senior forward
Camilla Emsbo. Kira got a pair of points and a rebound. Camilla, Yale's captain, has been sidelined by injury all season. This was the last time the two would face each other in the Yale-Princeton rivalry.
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Lee was in for 17 minutes, matching her most playing time in a game since Dec. 7 (23 minutes at Quinnipiac).Â
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"Avery executes the offense," said Eshe. "Even if she makes a mistake. She gets to the right spots, and she will calm the team down when we need it."
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In addition to McGill's work on the boards, junior forward
Brenna McDonald contributed eight rebounds. Sophomore guard
Christen McCann had eight points and four rebounds.
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Princeton wound up scoring 27 points off turnovers, 22 points on second chances and 19 points from the free throw line. For the Bulldogs, those numbers are a frustrating reminder of how they could have contained the Tigers by executing more effectively.
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With the win Princeton keeps pace atop the Ivy League standings with Columbia, as both teams are 10-2 in league play. With the loss the Bulldogs fall three games behind Harvard and Penn, who are tied for third. Yale travels to Cornell next Saturday for the second-to-last game of the season.
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Saturday's game was part of Yale's celebration of National Girls and Women in Sports Day, including free admission for children 12 and under and a post-game clinic for those children featuring a variety of Yale teams.
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"It's important that our girls get this opportunity to see all the young girls that aspire to be like them," said Eshe. "They can be humbled by the opportunity, while also appreciating the chance to uplift the next generation."
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