Yale Posts 11-3 Run In Final Five Minutes To Stun Maine

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – It wasn't drawn up this way, but sometimes spontaneous happenings result in game-winning baskets, as was seen in a heart-wrenching 57-55 victory for the Yale women's basketball team over Maine on Wednesday night in the Lee Amphitheater.

With 10 seconds remaining in regulation, Mary Ann Santucci (Seattle, Wash.) threw a left-handed pass to Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y.), who was open under the hoop, for the game-winning layup in the waning moments.

For the second straight year, the Bulldogs (5-8, 0-0 Ivy) knocked off the Black Bears (8-6) in the final seconds. Last year, it was a buzzer-beating jumper by then-sophomore guard Nyasha Sarju (Seattle, Wash.), but on Wednesday, it was two freshmen guards producing the game-winner.

"It wasn't drawn up for me, it was drawn up for Nyasha actually," said Simpson after the game. "I told Mary Ann that if all else fails, look for me on the other side of the court. I cut backdoor, but it was an intimidating pass since the biggest player on the court was blocking her vision."

Simpson added, "I noticed the play was breaking down and it wasn't running smoothly, so I tried to make something happen."

Originally the play was for Sarju to get open for a jump shot, according to Simpson, considering the junior guard had been shooting so well the entire game. Sarju scored a game-high 18 points off the bench on 6-of-9 shooting (4-of-7 3FG) in only 21 minutes on the floor.

"Nyasha shot really well tonight, so the defense was shifting toward her, anticipating her to get the shot. That made it easier for me to sneak behind the defense and get the open look," said Simpson.

The freshman guard is no stranger to coming up big in crunch time for the Bulldogs this season. Simpson scored a game-tying layup with seconds remaining against Boise State on Nov. 26 to send the game into overtime, as well as scored two buckets in the final minute in a win over Monmouth on Dec. 2.

"You can call Tamara the 'ice woman', but I call her our 'stealth bomber'. She just goes unnoticed on the floor," said Class of 1954, Joel E. Smilow head coach Chris Gobrecht about Simpson's effectiveness at the end of games. Wednesday night was Gobrecht's 1,000th career game as a Division I head coach. "She's as cool as a cucumber and she just gets it done."

It was not easy for Yale to fight its way back into the game against the Black Bears, as Maine ran a very effective 2-3 zone that, at times, was hard to penetrate for the Bulldogs. The Elis faced a 12-point deficit only two minutes into the second half.

In the second half, Yale outrebounded Maine, 23-14, as well as outscored the Black Bears, 31-21, proving to be the difference after an eight-point margin separated the teams at halftime.

Eight second-half points by Simpson, as well as seven rebounds by sophomore forward Katie Werner (Phoenix, Ariz.), helped Yale to mount the comeback against Maine, which had already defeated Brown, Harvard, and Dartmouth this season.  

With top-scorer Sarah Halejian (Wyckoff, N.J.) out with an injury, the Bulldogs were able to muster just enough offense against the America East's stingiest defense, as Maine entered the game allowing only 56.4 points per game.

The first half was all about Sarju, as the junior found her groove from long range, sinking 3-of-5 from behind the arc and scoring 13 points on only six shots. It was Sarju's threat in the second half, specifically the final play, that helped Yale complete the comeback.

"Coming into the game, Coach told me I'm a shooter and she wanted me to look to spot-up and shoot, just keep it simple," said Sarju after the game. "I know that's how I can help this team and I've worked on it a lot over break. My shot felt good tonight, so I kept letting it go."

It was Sarju's late-game heroics last season that led Yale over Maine, 86-85, on Jan. 5, 2014. The 6-0 guard believes this game to be a proper way to start the new year.

"This one was huge coming into 2015," said Sarju about the victory that snapped Yale's three-game losing slide. "We had a great week of practice leading up to it. Now is when we have to be very focused, because Ivy League games are coming up and there's no time for excuses."

As a team, Yale shot a much-improved 67-percent from the free throw line after shooting only 44-percent against Oklahoma. The Bulldogs also grabbed nine offensive rebounds, which translated into 10 second-chance points.

The Bulldogs' bench outscored Maine's bench, 24-6, with the help of Sarju's 18. Junior guard Whitney Wyckoff (West Chester, Ohio) matched a career-high with 12 points (3-5 FG, 2-2 3FG, 4-4 FT), while Simpson added 11. Werner grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds.

Maine had four scorers in double-digits, including a team-high 14 points from Sigi Koizar.

Yale hits the hardwood again when it travels to take on Saint Peter's on Tuesday, January 13 at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs will look to add to their winning streak in 2015.  

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity Assistant