Memorable Homecoming For Sarju, Santucci, and Gobrecht

SEATTLE, Wash. – On a special night in the Emerald City, for more than one reason, a team-high 19 points by senior captain Sarah Halejian (Wyckoff, N.J.) was not enough as the Yale women's basketball team was beaten by the Washington Huskies, 81-51, in the Alaska Airlines Arena.

In a game of back-and-forth, high-speed action, it was the Huskies that proved to be efficient enough on offense to pull away from the aggressive-playing Bulldogs, outscoring the Elis 43-22 in the second half.

It seemed fitting that junior guard and Seattle native Nyasha Sarju hit the first shot for Yale, a three-pointer only 1:23 into the game, which was met with loud cheers from family and friends.

The Bulldogs (1-2, 0-0 Ivy) exchanged buckets with the Huskies in the first 17 minutes of play, producing eight lead changes due to the scoring savvy of Halejian and Sarju. Washington ended the half on a 10-0 run after consecutive baskets by Chantel Oshahor, Katie Collier, and Aminah Williams.

Entering the second facing a nine-point deficit, buckets by Halejian and Sarju closed the gap to five, but the Bulldogs would not get any closer.

The Huskies saw an offensive explosion, starting and finishing with sophomore guard Kelsey Plum, who entered the game averaging 41 points in Washington's first two games of the season.

Yale made things very tough on Plum throughout the game, not giving her easy looks at the hoop while out near the arc or driving in the lane, but the Pac-12 star was still able to get her points.

In front of a crowd of 2,019, Plum finished with 28 points on 7-of-14 shooting and was an impressive 13-of-14 from the free throw line. Her 14 attempts were more than Yale as a team (13).

A 28-percent shooting (21-of-75) effort by the Bulldogs was too much to overcome, especially considering the Huskies shot 44.4-percent as a team in the second half.

For the second straight game, freshman Jen Berkowitz (Wayland, Mass.) had double-digit rebounds for the Bulldogs, grabbing 10 against the Huskies on Sunday. Sarju scored nine and freshman Mary Ann Santucci scored four in front of their hometown crowd, while Berkowitz chipped in eight of her own.

With her 19-point effort, Halejian surpasses Bari Porter and ties Maria Siambekos for 14th all-time on the Yale scoring list.

Washington had four scorers in double-figures, including Plum (28), Williams (13), Collier (11), and Talia Walton (10).

Sunday night's game proved that there are Bulldogs' fans everywhere, even 3,000 miles from New Haven. Sarju and Santucci are both originally from Seattle, producing a large fan section surrounding the Yale bench, full of family, friends, and Bulldog alumni.

Sarju went to Garfield High School in Seattle, while Santucci attended Seattle Prep just last year. Both players received a standing ovation when taken out late in the game, providing a memorable moment for both student-athletes.

It was also a homecoming for Class of 1954, Joel E. Smilow head coach Chris Gobrecht, who received a touching pregame video tribute honoring her very successful 11-year career as Washington's head coach from 1986-1996.  

During her time in Seattle, Gobrecht became the all-time winningest coach in program history, recording 243 wins and nine trips to the NCAA Tournament. She was twice-named Pac-10 Coach of the Year and led the Huskies to three conference titles.  

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity