Bulldogs Riding A Two-Game Winning Streak
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. – The Yale women's basketball team will get no rest following a nine-day holiday break, as it returns to action on the road against Indiana and Albany in a tough pair of non-league matchups on Monday and Wednesday.
The Bulldogs (8-5), who are currently riding a two-game winning streak, face the Hoosiers in Assembly Hall on Monday at 7 p.m., then play the Great Danes on Wednesday night at 7 p.m. Both games can be followed on live stats or @YaleWBB on Twitter. Live streams are available on BTN Plus (Indiana) and AmericaEast.TV (Albany).
Prior to the break, the Elis defeated both Stony Brook and Illinois State in the Lee Amphitheater to improve to 8-5, a three-game improvement from the first 13 games last season (5-8). A 13-point victory over the Redbirds on Dec. 16 led the Bulldogs into the holidays.
Sophomore guard Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y.) had 14 points, five rebounds and four steals in the win over Illinois State, on her way to her fourth straight mention on the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll (Dec. 21) and her fifth overall this season.
In addition to Simpson's production, senior forward Nyasha Sarju (Seattle, Wash.) currently sits second in the Ivy League with 16.9 points per game – including 11 of 12 games scoring in double figures this season.
Balanced offense has been a point of pride for the Bulldogs, with five players currently averaging six or more points per contest. Sarju is joined by Simpson (11.1), senior guard Whitney Wyckoff (9.8), sophomore guard Clara Mokri (7.0), and junior forward Katie Werner (6.1).
Yale's defense, an area constantly stressed by Joel E. Smilow '54 head coach Allison Guth, is forcing an Ivy-best 19.3 turnovers per game – allowing just 58 points per game in the process. Simpson leads the league and is 23rd in the nation with 3.1 steals per game.
The Bulldogs have held opposing teams to less than 60 points in seven games (7-0) and have scored at least 60 in 12 of 13 games this season. Four non-league games remain for the Elis before Ivy League play begins on Jan. 16.
Scouting the Hoosiers
Indiana enters Monday's game with a 7-4 record, recently dropping two straight to Miami and West Virginia in the Florida Sunshine Classic in Winter Park, Fla. It will be the first game against an Ivy League opponent for the Hoosiers since a 75-41 win over Cornell back on Nov. 22, 2003.
The Bulldogs have a common opponent with West Virginia, who they lost to, 70-60, in the final game of the Hall of Fame Women's Challenge on Nov. 29 at Mohegan Sun. Indiana lost to the Mountaineers, 75-64.
Three players are scoring in double-figures for the Hoosiers, including sophomore guard Tyra Buss with 20.2 points per game. Teammates Amanda Cahill and Alexis Gassion are averaging 13.3 and 12.1 points, respectively.
Indiana holds notable victories over Georgia Tech and Indiana State, while having losses against DePaul and Ohio. The game against Yale is the last non-league game before Big 10 play begins.
The Elis have never beaten a Big 10 opponent, with an all-time record of 0-13 against them.
Albany Report
The Great Danes are one of the top teams in America East, currently sitting with an 8-3 record. Albany started the season with a four-game winning streak, and also had a three-game winning streak going until losing to USC, 68-67, on Dec. 20.
Albany, led by sixth-year head coach Katie Abrahamson-Henderson, has won the America East championship in each of the past four seasons, qualifying for the NCAA Tournament each year. The Great Danes lost in the first round each time, but fell just 54-52 to fourth-seeded Duke in 2014-15.
Senior forward Shereesha Richards leads the team in scoring and rebounding, averaging 23.8 points and 7.7 boards per game. Junior guard Imani Tate is close behind with 19.3 points and 5.5 rebounds per contest.
Albany leads America East in several categories, including scoring offense (66.8), scoring margin (+10.4), field goal percentage (49-percent), rebounding margin (+9.0), assists (15.9), and steals (10.9). Tate leads the league with 3.5 thefts per game.
Yale is 2-1 all-time against the Great Danes, but lost the most recent meeting – an 88-76 loss at Albany on Nov. 26, 2002.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Scoring in the Lane: The Bulldogs have outscored their opponents in the paint on five occasions this season, going 4-1 in those games.
Resilient D: Yale's defense has held four opponents to under 30-percent shooting this season, going 4-0 when that happens.
Ivy Recognition: Tamara Simpson has been named to the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll a team-high five times this season, including four of the past five weeks. Nyasha Sarju and Whitney Wyckoff are both three-time recipients.
Halting a Trend: The Elis have not won their first game after Christmas since the 2008-09 season at UC-Irvine.
Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity
