Elis Look To Pick-Up Win Before Thanksgiving
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NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Following a well-played weekend down in Chapel Hill as part of the Hall of Fame Women's Challenge, the Yale women's basketball team looks to regain momentum before the Thanksgiving holiday.
The Bulldogs (3-2) return home to the Lee Amphitheater for the first time in 10 days to host Holy Cross (0-4) on Wednesday afternoon, with tip-off scheduled for 2 p.m. The game can be seen on the Ivy League Digital Network, as well as followed on @YaleWBB on Twitter.
Joel E. Smilow '54 head coach Allison Guth and her squad won two of three games this past weekend down in North Carolina, beating Iona on Friday and Fairleigh Dickinson on Saturday. The Elis were edged on Sunday by the Tar Heels, despite having chances to take the lead late in the game.
All in all, the Bulldogs had a very successful trip during a tough stretch of three games in three days. With two days off to recuperate, Yale hosts the Crusaders looking to repeat last season's result of an 83-70 win over Holy Cross on Nov. 18.
Senior forward Nyasha Sarju (Seattle, Wash.) continues to be dominant on offense, averaging 17.6 points and 7.2 rebounds, both team-highs. Sarju has scored in double-figures in all five games and is shooting 40-percent from long range (6-of-15).
Senior captain Whitney Wyckoff (West Chester, Ohio) is recording 9.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.8 assists per game. Wyckoff and Sarju were both named to the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll on Nov. 23 for their performances this past week.
Sophomore guards Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y.) and Mary Ann Santucci (Seattle, Wash.) have been great complements to the Yale backcourt, as Simpson leads the team with 11 steals and Santucci is averaging a team-high four assists per game.
Holy Cross Report
The Crusaders enter Wednesday with a winless record, due in large part to a tough non-conference schedule in the early going. Losses to Penn State, UMass, Boston College and Quinnipiac make up their slate thus far.
Under the instruction of head coach Bill Gibbons in his 31st season, Holy Cross finished the 2014-15 season with a 15-17 record (11-7 Patriot League) and lost in the quarterfinals of the Patriot League tournament as the No. 3 seed.
Four of five starters from that team return this season, including six letterwinners. Senior F Raquel Scott returns as the Crusaders' leading scorer and rebounder, and is currently leading the team with 14 points and seven rebounds per game.
Sophomore guards Infiniti Thomas-Waheed and Katie Doherty are each averaging double-figures through the first four games, scoring 12.3 and 10.5 points, respectively.
Yale leads the all-time series with Holy Cross, 8-7, and beat the Crusaders in the first week of last season. The Bulldogs are 5-2 all-time against the Crusaders at home.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
League Leaders: Yale currently leads the Ivy League in field goal attempts (67.8/game), offensive rebounds (18.2/game), assists (16/game), blocks (4.4/game) and opponent three-point percentage (20.4).
Welcome Back: Allison Guth is already putting herself on the map. The Bulldogs' 3-2 record is the best start by a first-year coach of Yale women's basketball since Cecilia DeMarco in the 1991-92 season.
Winning Big: Yale's average margin of victory in its three wins this season is 22.3 points. In two losses, the Bulldogs average margin of defeat is just 6.5 points and came against two teams receiving votes (Dayton and North Carolina) in the AP Top 25 and USA Today Coaches Poll.
Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity
