NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women's basketball team opened the 2024-25 season with a thrilling 64-61 win vs. Monmouth Monday night at Lee Amphitheater, rallying from a deficit as large as 12 with nine minutes to play in the third quarter.
The Bulldogs trailed by nine less than minute into the fourth, but went on a 9-0 run to tie the score. Senior guard/forward
Mackenzie Egger capped that run with a layup. After Monmouth went back ahead the teams then traded the lead five times, with the last being the decisive swing. First-year guard
Marisa Chapman's steal and pull-up jump shot with 1:43 to play put the Bulldogs up 60-59. Two more points from Chapman and two from sophomore forward
Ana Guillen, sandwiched around a pair of Monmouth free throws, gave the Bulldogs a three-point advantage with 10 seconds left. The Hawks missed a desperation three at the buzzer.
Yale moves to 1-0 on the season while Monmouth, which went 22-10 last year, falls to 0-1.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
- Egger led Yale with 25 points, one more than her previous career high. She also drew a team-high five fouls and had nine rebounds.
- Chapman led Yale with 12 rebounds, part of a double-double for her (17 points).
- Senior guard Avery Lee led Yale with four assists, all in the second half.
- First year guard Ke'iara Odume led Yale in +/- at +15.
KEY STAT
- Yale outscored Monmouth 26-16 in the fourth quarter, shooting .632 (12 for 19)
NOTES
- Yale did not allow a three-pointer, limiting Monmouth to an 0-for-11 performance from beyond the arc.
- Yale's shooting percentage improved with each quarter: .250 in the first, .278 in the second, .462 in the third and .632 in the fourth.
- This was Yale's first win in a season opener since winning 63-57 in overtime at Providence Nov. 9, 2021.
- Yale's new-look roster includes five first years and a transfer. Four players made their Yale debuts Monday: Chapman, Guillen, Odume and first-year guard Ciniya Moore. The Bulldogs frequently had three newcomers out on the court at any given time during the game.
- Chapman, Guillen (six points) and Odume (eight points) all scored their first career points.
- Chapman and Lee made their first career starts.
QUOTING DALILA ESHE,
YALE'S JOEL E. SMILOW, CLASS OF 1954 HEAD COACH OF WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
- On the team's lineup: "Part of today was, with such a young team, trying to find what was working. We found that formula at the end of the game. Being able to gut it out and stay composed was huge."
- On Egger: "This is what we've seen from her from day one. She is the gold standard of hard work. It's what we've seen and known, and now she's showing it to everybody else."
- On the team's offense: "We've gone more to passing and moving and cutting, whereas last year it was a lot of dribbling."
- On Chapman: "She came into college college-ready. She has not been playing basketball long; nobody really knew who she was [recruiting-wise]."
- On the post-game celebration and message: "It was awesome. We came in, everybody was pumped. It's a long season, and we told them it will be the next person up on the next night."
WHAT'S NEXT
- Yale travels to Michigan State Friday at 7:00 p.m.
