Bulldogs Battle Past Penn, 58-51
PHILADELPHIA – Defense and rebounding
have been the hallmarks of the Yale women’s basketball
team’s success in 2009-10, and Friday night at Penn was no
different. The Bulldogs held host Penn to just 51 points and
outrebounded the Quakers , 35-27, en route to claiming a 58-51 Ivy
League road victory at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Freshman Megan
Vasquez led Yale offensively with 16 points, and junior Mady
Gobrecht put forth a well-rounded effort with seven points, nine
rebounds and five assists.
“This was a typical tough Ivy road game,” said Chris
Gobrecht, Yale’s Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of
Women’s Basketball. “Penn played one of its best games
of the season, and we’re happy to be leaving with a
win.”
With the win, Yale improves to 7-10 overall and 2-1 in Ivy League
play. The Quakers fall to 1-15 on the season with an 0-2 Ancient
Eight tally.
Joining Vasquez in double figures for the Bulldogs was junior Yoyo
Greenfield, who netted 14. Sophomore Michelle Cashen had nine
points and five rebounds, and senior Melissa Colborne had six
points. The Yale scoring was rounded out by four points from senior
Ashley Carter and two points from senior Haywood Wright. As a team,
Yale shot 38.9% (21-54) from the field, 28.6% (4-14) from
three-point range and 66.7% (12-18) from the free throw line.
Kim Adams (16 pts.) and Sarah Bucar (14 pts.) both scored in double
figures for Penn, as the Quakers shot 44.2% (19-43) from the floor,
25% (3-12) from downtown and 71.4% (10-14) from the charity
stripe.
The Quakers started off the scoring with a Kim Adams layup, but
that bucket would be Penn’s only field goal over the first
4:23 as a Vasquez trey started a 7-2 Yale run that put the Bulldogs
on top, 7-4. Penn stormed back with the next five points to reclaim
the edge at 9-7, but Yale would once again respond in kind with a
14-1 run over next 6:39, which featured points from five different
Bulldogs, to build a double-digit lead at 21-10. Yale would lead by
as many as 12 points in the frame and took a 10-point cushion into
the locker room with the score sitting at 26-16.
Vasquez led all players with 12 points in the first half, while
Gobrecht hauled in a half-best five rebounds. Adams had five of the
Quakers’ 16 first-half points, and Jess Knapp led Penn on the
glass with four rebounds. The Bulldogs shot 37% (10-27) from the
field, 40% (2-5) from three-point range and 80% (4-5) from the line
in the first half, while Penn shot 31.6% (6-19) from the floor,
33.3% (1-3) from beyond the arc and 60% (3-5) from the free throw
line.
The second half stayed relatively even, which was enough for the
Bulldogs to maintain a three-possession edge for much of the frame.
Penn, however, put forth a 5-0 spurt late in the half to trim the
Yale lead all the way down to four points at 45-41. A Gobrecht
jumper swiftly squashed the Quakers’ rally and keyed a 7-2
run to give Yale a more comfortable advantage at 52-43 with just
2:03 left on the clock. Penn shot well the rest of the way to keep
the score close, but the Bulldogs maintained their intensity until
the final buzzer and left the City of Brotherly Love with a 58-51
victory.
The big difference in the contest came on the offensive glass,
where Yale turned 10 rebounds into 10 second chance. Meanwhile, the
Bulldogs limited Penn to two offensive rebounds, netting no points
from the offensive boards.
The Bulldogs will be back in action tomorrow, as they head to
Princeton for a 6 p.m. game with the Tigers. Princeton is currently
14-2 overall and 2-0 in league play after defeating Brown this
evening, 75-44.
report filed by Drew M. Kingsley, Yale Sports Publicity
