KINGSTON, R.I. – A back-and-forth battle between the Bulldogs and Rams resulted in the home side taking an 84-78 victory over Yale at the Ryan Center. Yale moved to 4-5 overall, while Rhode Island improved to 8-0.
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Inside the Stats
- After a slower first half start, John Poulakidas' offense heightened in the second half. He finished with 25 points, leading all Yale players.
- Bez Mbeng had 15 points, five defensive rebounds, and a quartet of assists.
- Nick Townsend registered 14 points, five rebounds, and five assists.
- Casey Simmons finished the night with 10 points, while bringing down seven boards and two steals.
- Yale had 17 second chance points compared to URI's nine and 15 points off turnovers compared to the Rams' five.
- Additionally, Yale had 36 points in the paint compared to URI's 24.
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Game Notes
- Yale opened the scoring on an 8-2 run five minutes into the game.
- Both teams jostled with the lead, but the Bulldogs went into the break ahead by one after the Rams hit a triple at the buzzer.
- The second frame saw both teams trade buckets through the first stretch of time.Â
- With just over 10 minutes to play in the second, Yale led by five after a pair of free throws from Isaac Celiscar.
- URI pressed with a 14-2 run in the ensuing sequence and held a seven-point lead with two minutes remaining.Â
- The Rams' pressure offense in the second half was highlighted by 20-of-22 shooting from the free throw line, and an 18-point performance from Sebastian Thomas.
Bulldogs Notes
- With 25 points tonight, John Poulakidas has registered double-digit points in all nine games this season. He has 20+ in six of those contests.
- The last Yale player to score 25 points in a single game was, you guessed it, Poulakidas in the memorable victory over Auburn in the NCAA Tournament on March 22, 2024.
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Looking Ahead
The Bulldogs return home on Saturday, Dec. 7 for their final game at John J. Lee Amphitheater in the 2024 calendar year against Vermont.
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