Bulldogs Stretch Winning Streak To Five

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – In a game where Columbia turned the ball over 24 times, hustle plays proved to lead the Yale women's basketball team over the Lions on Friday night, 55-47, capturing its third straight Ivy win and fifth straight overall.

The Bulldogs (9-8, 3-0 Ivy), who improved to over .500 for the first time this season, used consistent pressure on the defensive end to baffle the Columbia (6-11, 0-3 Ivy) offense, which came into the game scoring an average of 64.5 points per game.

Junior guard Whitney Wyckoff (West Chester, Ohio) led the defensive charge with her constant hustle plays resulting in a game-high five steals for the Elis, who had 13 as a team.

Yale, which shot a season-best 54.3-percent in its most recent victory over Brown on Jan. 23, shot only 34.5-percent from the field on Friday. The Bulldogs were also severely outrebounded, 44-31. But the Elis still found a way.

"Each team made runs, but in the end, it's about who can sustain that energy longer," said Wyckoff, who also scored 10 points, including four clutch free throws in the final minute. "I think our defense in the second half definitely stepped up, which basically allowed us to pull it out."

The Bulldogs' defense caused 20-plus turnovers for the seventh time this season, while holding Columbia to 23 points and 24 points in the first and second halves, respectively.

The Yale offense was sparked by turnovers, as the Elis outscored Columbia in points-off turnovers, 20-4. While the Lions turned it over 24 times, the Bulldogs only turned it over on 11 occasions.

Freshman guard Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y.) led the Yale scoring with 13 points on 5-of-14 shooting, while junior guard Nyasha Sarju (Seattle, Wash.) added nine and sophomore forward Katie Werner (Phoenix, Ariz.) chipped in eight.

Wyckoff was 4-of-6 from the free throw line (6-of-8 for the game) in the final minute of regulation that helped the Bulldogs fend off the Lions, but her free throws were set-up by the shining defensive moment of the game.

With the Bulldogs leading 51-47 with only one minute left, Columbia's Carolyn Gallagher drove to the hoop looking to cut it to a one-possession game, but was rejected by junior center Emmy Allen (Overland Park, Kan.). Yale kept its four-point lead and would not surrender it. Columbia never led in regulation.

Despite leading by as many as 11 in the second half, Columbia would cut the lead down to only one with 5:33 remaining in the game. It was then that Wyckoff stole a Columbia pass and took the ball down to the other end for a layup, stretching the lead back to three.

"Definitely just the little things. They are the things that everyone can do and they are always in your control," said Wyckoff when asked about her hustle plays against the Lions. "Everyone was making hustle plays, getting blocks and hands on passes. We know that's necessary to win."

With the game tied at 23 at halftime, the Bulldogs jumped out to a 38-28 lead in the first eight minutes of the second half. Simpson scored five points in that stretch and the Bulldogs were 7-of-8 from the free throw line. Yale was 13-of-16 for the game (81.3-percent).

It was a game of streaks. Just when it seemed Yale took control, Columbia seemed to counter. In both halves, Yale jumped out to early leads before the Lions would make a run. Columbia countered Yale's 15-5 run to start the second half with an 18-9 run of its own.

In the first five minutes of the game, the Bulldogs led 12-4 and had already caused six turnovers by the visitors. However, Columbia struck back with a 17-9 run led by freshman forward Camille Zimmerman, who scored eight in the game.

"It was definitely a fast-paced game, it went back-and-forth. In the beginning, we came out really strong and they stepped up their intensity," said junior forward Meredith Boardman (Oak Park, Ill.), who played in her first game since Dec. 19 due to a knee injury.

Boardman added, "I think in the second half, we really pulled everything together and just continued to attack."

The Bulldogs, who finished 5-0 in the month of January, return to the hardwood on Sunday when they face Cornell in the Lee Amphitheater for a 1:05 p.m. tip. The game will be broadcasted on the American Sports Network and on americansportsnet.com.

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity