NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Five Bulldogs tallied double figures as the Yale men's basketball team clinched at least a share of the Ivy League regular season title with a thrilling 92-88 victory over Cornell on Friday. The Bulldogs improved to 17-6 overall, and 10-0 in Ivy action.

The regular season title marks Yale's 10^th Ivy title in program history and sixth in the last 10 seasons. The Bulldogs have also won seven championships under the direction of Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach James Jones.
 
Turning Point
At halftime, Cornell held a 42-37 lead, but Yale steadily chipped away at the deficit in the second half. The Big Red widened the gap to 51-43 before Yale answered with a five-point run, capped by a Nick Townsend three-pointer, cutting the margin to three. Yale kept up the momentum, scoring 10 consecutive points, including four from Isaac Celiscar, to take a 60-56 advantage with 13:08 remaining. Later, with Cornell up 84-82, the Bulldogs responded with six straight points, including an alley-oop finish by Casey Simmons to tie the game and then a layup from the junior put Yale ahead 88-84 with 1:16 left. In the final seconds, Yale sank key free throws to secure the victory.
 
Notable Performances

• Townsend had a stellar night with a team-high 24 points, shooting 7-of-10 from the field, was a perfect 4-of-4 from deep, along with team-high 11 rebounds, and five assists.
• Simmons had a career-best 21 points on 8-of-12 shooting, was 3-of-4 from three, while adding eight rebounds, and three assists.
• Bez Mbeng notched 14 points, a team-high eight assists, and four rebounds.
• John Poulakidas added 13 points.
• Celiscar had 11 points on 4-of-7 shooting with four rebounds and a team-high three steals.
• Yale had 21 assists on 30 made baskets.
• The Bulldogs tallied 32 of their points in the paint.

 
Bulldog Notes

• Townsend has recorded double figures in his past 18 games.
• Townsend also picked up his fifth double-double of the season.
• Poulakidas has notched double figures in 19 games this season, including his past nine.
• Mbeng has tallied double figures in 10 consecutive games.
• Yale remains undefeated at home, improving to 10-0.

Hear from Coach Jones
"That was just a really gutsy performance by our team, backs against the wall several times, and we kept fighting and never gave up. What was great about our team was that we banded tighter as the game got closer and I think that's the mark of a good team. When we needed to come together tonight, we did, and it was really great to watch us do the little things to win."
 

Looking Ahead
The Bulldogs will host Columbia for Senior Night on Saturday, Feb. 22. Tip is slated for 7 p.m.