Box Score Sarju Scores Team-High 21 In Win
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – In a tied game with just 37 seconds remaining, the Yale women's basketball team went to senior captain Whitney Wyckoff for the late-game dramatics.
Wyckoff (West Chester, Ohio) drove to the hoop for a layup and foul with just 14.6 seconds left, then made the free throw, propelling her team to a hard-fought 62-57 win over Stony Brook on Saturday afternoon.
"I've never done that (scored the game-winner) before, so that's good," joked Wyckoff after the game. "We've been working so much on finishing layups – everyone did that at the end and I'm glad our work paid off."
The Bulldogs (7-5) trailed, 40-38, going into the fourth quarter – picking up their second win this season when playing from behind at the start of the final period. When it came to Wyckoff's fearless drive to the hoop, the Elis had a good plan in place.
"We wanted to use clock. We were running something we just put in two days ago. It was an attack option where we have several options off of it," said Joel E. Smilow '54 head coach Allison Guth. "We used ball-screen action and we wanted to have several attack options, no matter what defense they were using."
During a week of practice where Guth stressed the importance of finishing near the hoop to her players, it was fitting that the most important basket of the game was an acrobatic layup by Wyckoff.
"When it comes to finishing at the rim and at the line, those are just toughness factors," said Guth. "To see that be the conversion down the stretch was tremendous."
The Elis led for just over three minutes of cumulative time in the game, including a second-half where they tied the score four times.
Down 54-53 with 1:51 remaining, sophomore guard Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y.) took her defensive rebound and went coast-to-coast with a transition layup at 1:23 to give Yale its first lead since the second quarter.
After a Stony Brook miss and defensive board by Wyckoff, senior forward Nyasha Sarju (Seattle, Wash.) got a nice pass from Simpson for a layup, putting Yale ahead by three. Sarju had a team-high 21 points on 9-of-17 shooting, her third 20-plus point game this season.
Following a game-tying three-pointer by Stony Brook's Davion Wingate, Wyckoff answered with her layup to give Yale a permanent lead. Two free throws by Sarju on the next possession sealed the game.
"This game came down to fixing our defense. In the first half, out defensive intensity wasn't where we needed to be," said Wyckoff. "We increased our pressure so they were feeling more rushed in the second half, and we were keeping the ball out of the paint."
The Seawolves shot 54.2-percent from the field in the first half, but just 27.3-percent in the second half due to Yale's pressure defense. Stony Brook was just 1-of-11 from long range, falling victim to Yale's 18th nationally-ranked three-point defense (23.5-percent).
Wyckoff and Simpson added 12 points each in the win, while junior guard Meghan McIntyre (Santa Rosa Valley, Calif.) scored four of her seven points in the final four minutes of regulation. Simpson and McIntyre each had three assists and Wyckoff was 8-of-9 from the charity stripe.
Despite being outrebounded, 38-31, and outshot in the second half, 33-22, it was the Bulldogs' offensive efficiency in the second half that helped them make the most of each possession. Yale had just three turnovers in the second half.
A 54.5-percent (12-of-22) shooting display in the final 20 minutes by the Elis helped to give them a 40-31 scoring advantage in the half, overcoming a four-point halftime deficit.
Stony Brook was led by senior forward Brittany Snow, who recorded a 27-point, 10-rebound double-double on an efficient 12-of-23 shooting. Snow is just three points away from reaching 1,000 career points. Freshman forward Ogechi Anyagaligbo added 14 points and eight rebounds.
"For us to be in a close game, and come out with a win – to show senior leadership, to step up to the line, to convert the free throws, to take the shot, to want the ball in your hands – that's the most satisfying part," said Guth. "It's really rewarding and gives us confidence."
It is Yale's second win this season when facing a deficit heading into the fourth quarter (also the 69-59 win over Holy Cross on Nov. 25). The Bulldogs were 0-3 in games decided by seven points or fewer this season before the win over Stony Brook.
The Elis return to action on Wednesday night when Illinois State comes to town in the final game before a nine-day holiday break. Tip-off is at 7 p.m. and can be seen on the Ivy League Digital Network.
Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity
