Bulldogs Sink NJIT, 68-58
NEWARK, N.J. – The formula has been
simple for the Yale women’s basketball team this season: play
defense and win. Entering Saturday afternoon’s contest at the
New Jersey Institute of Technology, the Bulldogs had held opponents
to 60 points or fewer in all of their wins in 2009-10. The recipe
held true on Saturday, as the stingy Yale defense surrendered just
58 points to the Highlanders en route to claiming a 68-58 road
victory. Junior Mady Gobrecht led three Bulldogs scoring in double
figures with a game-best 16 points.
“NJIT is a tough team”, said Chris Gobrecht, the Joel
E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women’s Basketball at
Yale. “We’re happy to get out of here with a
win”.
The Bulldogs, currently in the midst of a seven-game road trip,
move to 5-8 and snap a five-game losing streak with the victory.
NJIT falls to 5-9 in defeat.
Gobrecht shot 5-for-8 from the floor and a perfect 6-for-6 from the
free throw line to account for her 16 points. The junior forward
also had six rebounds, including five off of the offensive glass,
and a career-best six blocks. Senior Melissa Colborne had 13 points
for the Bulldogs, and freshman Megan Vasquez reached double figures
for the seventh straight game with 12 points. Freshman Allie
Messimer matched her career high with nine points, and sophomore
Michelle Cashen contributed eight points and seven rebounds. Junior
Yoyo Greenfield netted four points, while freshmen Alicia Seelaus
and Ericka von Kaeppler and senior Haywood Wright each added a
deuce.
Weight also led a dominant Yale rebounding effort with 10 boards as
the Bulldogs outrebounded the Highlanders by a convincing 48-30
margin, including a 30-13 differential in the second half.
Taiwo Oyelola netted 14 points and Kehinde Oyelola scored 12 points
to lead the NJIT offense, as Yale held Jessica Gerald, the
Highlanders’ leading scorer, five points below her season
average with 10 points.
The Highlanders opened the contest on a 5-0 run, but Yale responded
promptly over the ensuing 5:49 with a 9-2 run to grab a 9-7 lead.
The two squads remained within two points to a 16-16 deadlock at
the 8:36 mark. At that point, the Bulldogs began to control the
action, led by six points from Colborne, to claim a 28-20 edge late
in the first half. Yale would lead by as many as nine points in the
frame en route to entering the intermission holding a 36-28
advantage.
Messimer led the Bulldogs, who shot 45.2% (14-for-31) from the
floor, with nine first-half points. Gobrecht added eight points,
while Wright pulled down seven rebounds in the half as Yale held a
slim 18-17 edge on the glass. Kehinde Oyelola led all players with
11 points before the intermission for the Highlanders.
The Yale defense held fast to start the second half, opening up a
58-48 advantage on the back of a 5:42 stretch without a field goal
by NJIT. The Highlanders broke out of their drought in a big way
with an 11-2 run to trim the Yale lead to a single point at 50-49.
The Bulldogs would keep the home team at an arm’s length,
however, answering with a 10-1 run keyed by six points from
Gobrecht to regain a double-digit cushion at 60-50. The Highlanders
would hang tough to the final whistle, but the Bulldogs hit eight
of 10 free throws in the final two minutes to seal a 68-58
victory.
Taiwo Oyelola led all players with 10 second-half points, and
Gobrecht netted eight points after the intermission to pace the
Yale offense.
The Bulldogs open up the Ivy League season on Friday, Jan. 15 in
Providence, R.I. against Brown. Action from Pizzitola Memorial
Sports Center tips off at 7 p.m.
report filed by Drew M. Kingsley, Yale Sports Publicity