Werner And Berkowitz Net 16 Each, Lead Yale To First Victory

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Sophomore Katie Werner and freshman Jen Berkowitz stole the show on Tuesday night, combining for 32 total points and helping the Yale women's basketball team cruise to its first win of the 2014-15 season, an 83-70 win over Holy Cross, in the John J. Lee Amphitheater.

From start to finish, the Bulldogs (1-1, 0-0 Ivy) insisted on pounding the ball down to their forwards on the low block, becoming the benficiaries of foul trouble by the Crusaders and maintaining aggressive action on the boards.

Yale almost doubled Holy Cross in rebounds, holding a large 51-26 advantage on the boards, which included 27 team offensive boards. Berkowitz (Wayland, Mass.) and Werner (Phoenix, Ariz.) led the charge on the glass as well as on the scoreboard, snagging 19 boards on the night.

In addition to out-rebounding the Crusaders, the Bulldogs also outscored them 50-28 in the paint, proving to be dominant under the hoop.

"I thought Jen and Katie played really well tonight. We felt we could score inside and we did. They had a post player in foul trouble and we wanted to take advantage," said Class of 1954, Joel E. Smilow head coach Chris Gobrecht.

The Bulldogs came out of the gate hot, shooting off a 10-2 run in the first three-and-a-half minutes. Junior guard Nyasha Sarju (Seattle, Wash.) completed a three-point play, while senior captain Sarah Halejian (Wyckoff, N.J.) completed the run with a jumper of her own.

The largest lead in the first half for Yale came at 8:13 when Werner grabbed a miss by junior forward Meredith Boardman (Oak Park, Ill.) and put it back up and in plus a foul, making it 26-15.

The Crusaders would get back into the game, using intense full-court pressure to disrupt the Bulldogs' rhythm on offensive. Holy Cross ended the half on a 22-9 run orchestrated by their high-scorers on the night, Lisa Mifsud (19 points) and Infiniti Thomas-Waheed (16 points).

In the second half, in only her second collegiate game, Berkowitz took over. The first-year forward would score 13 points and grab seven rebounds in the second half, leading her team in both categories.

"We've got a lot of freshmen who will be giving us a lift throughout the year. They're good players and the more they learn about playing at this level, they'll keep getting better," said Gobrecht.

The Crusaders gained a 45-42 advantage at 16:14 in the second half after a three-point shot by Thomas-Waheed. Holy Cross would have the lead for less than two minutes, before the Bulldogs' offense exploded.

Yale went on an 18-3 run over a five minute stretch, taking a 10-point lead and taking total control of the game. In that time, Berkowitz scored eight, sophomore guard Lena Munzer (Highland Park, Ill.) bucketed a three and a pair of free throws, and freshman guard Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y.) scored four of her 12 points on the night.

Back-to-back layups by Werner at the four minute mark gave Yale a 14-point advantage, one they would expand to a high of 17 before the final buzzer. Werner's 16 points and eight rebounds are both career-highs for the second-year forward.

"I thought Holy Cross played very well and shot very well, so we're happy to come away with a win," said Gobrecht, who now has 530 career wins (105 at Yale). "It was a big win because we have a very tough road trip coming up. It would've been hard to head out there without it."

The Bulldogs will travel cross-country to Seattle, Wash. on Friday to play the University of Washington on Sunday at 10:30 p.m. (ET). On Monday, Yale travels from Seattle to Anchorage, Alaska to participate in the GCI Great Alaska Shootout during the week of Thanksgiving.

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity Assistant