Yale Defense Causes 20 UNC Turnovers

CHAPEL HILL, N.C. – Behind strong guard play and the contributions of a deep bench, the Yale women's basketball team took North Carolina to the limit on Sunday afternoon, ultimately falling 70-63, in the final game of the weekend – which also turned out to be the best game.

The Bulldogs (3-2) nearly knocked-off the Tar Heels, a team receiving votes in the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll, using aggressive defense which caused 20 turnovers by the host.

Facing a 12-point deficit at halftime, the Elis cut the lead down to just two in the third quarter. With one minute left in regulation, Yale had a chance to cut a five-point lead down to three, but no matter how close they got, the Bulldogs never held the lead.

No matter how much they trailed though, the Bulldogs continued to storm back against the favorite in this bracket of the 2015 Hall of Fame Women's Challenge. Runs of 11-2 and 7-0 in the second half helped keep the Elis right in the game.

Senior forward Nyasha Sarju (Seattle, Wash.) led the team with 13 points and seven rebounds, her fifth straight game with double-figures. Junior guard Lena Munzer (Highland Park, Ill.) had a season-high 10 points, shooting 2-of-4 from three-point range.

Senior guard Whitney Wyckoff (West Chester, Ohio) added nine points, four rebounds and three assists in the loss, which was Yale's second to a team receiving votes this season (Dayton in the season-opener).

The Bulldogs recorded eight steals, including three by sophomore guard Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y.). Yale scored 12 points off turnovers on Sunday.

North Carolina guard Jamie Cherry led the charge for the Heels, scoring 24 points on 7-of-12 shooting from the field. Cherry posed problems with her ability to get to the rim, or pull-up for a jumper.

"She's quick; she can pull-up or go to the basket. I don't think it was a matchup problem. We just need to get better on defense and defensive communication," said Wyckoff of Cherry's play.

Trailing 33-21 at the intermission, the Bulldogs came out of the locker room with a vengeance, rattling off an 11-2 run and cutting the UNC lead to just 35-32. Two jumpers by Sarju, plus a layup and three-pointer from Simpson, helped lead the rally.

The Heels responded with a run of their own. UNC went on a 14-3 run over the next five minutes of the third quarter, retaking a 49-35 lead. A three-pointer by Munzer, along with a layup by sophomore forward Jen Berkowitz (Wayland, Mass.), made it 49-42 heading into the fourth.

Yale shot the ball much better in the second half at 44.1-percent (15-of-34) as opposed to 28.1-percent (9-of-32) in the first half. Nonetheless, the Elis took 66 shots to UNC's 54, making up for the shooting struggles.

"I think if we made the easy shots and free throws, we would have won. We had a terrible shooting night, but still only lost by seven," said Wyckoff.

From the 7:37 mark to 2:05, the Bulldogs narrowed a once 12-point deficit to merely five. With 1:07 remaining, Simpson drove to the hole and saw her layup roll off the front of the rim, a hoop that would have cut the lead to one possession. The Heels sunk 9-of-10 free throws in the final minute to put the game away.

Sophomore guard Mary Ann Santucci (Seattle, Wash.) turned in another strong performance, scoring six points and grabbing three rebounds, while playing pinpoint defense on players in the Heels' backcourt. Wyckoff and Munzer also played excellent defense against the very athletic opposition.

"There were definitely positives in the first two games, and even today though we lost. Playing UNC on its home court and losing by seven, I think that's a good sign for us," said Wyckoff. "We still have a lot of things to work on though. We can't be satisfied at all."

The Bulldogs return to the hardwood on Wednesday afternoon when they host Holy Cross in the Lee Amphitheater at 2 p.m. The game will be streamed on the Ivy League Digital Network.

Yale will play one more game in the Hall of Fame Women's Challenge next weekend, when it takes on West Virginia on Sunday. Tip-off is scheduled for 4 p.m. at Mohegan Sun in Uncasville, Conn.  

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity