Yale Has Caused 20-Plus Turnovers In 10 Games This Season

NEW YORK, N.Y. - Whitney Wyckoff's career-high 18 points and Emmy Allen's double-double (15 points-10 rebounds) fueled the Yale women's basketball team to a 67-57 victory over Columbia on Sunday afternoon in a game broadcast live on the American Sports Network.

Coming off a season-low 25-percent shooting effort in a loss to Cornell on Friday night, the Bulldogs (12-12, 6-4 Ivy) fired from all cylinders against the Lions, shooting 46.6-percent (27-of-58) as a team. Wyckoff (West Chester, Ohio) was 8-of-13 from the field, while Allen (Overland Park, Kan.) was 6-of-10.

Yale's biggest advantage on the offensive end came in the paint, outscoring Columbia, 44-18, in the lane. Many of those points came off the 21 Lions' turnovers that the Bulldogs caused, with the Elis converting those Columbia mistakes into 19 points.

Freshman guard Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y) and sophomore guard Lena Munzer (Highland Park, Ill.) each scored 11 points in the win. It is Yale's first game with four players scoring in double-figures since a 53-45 victory over Saint Peter's back on Jan. 13.

"I think a lot of our offense started on defense. We were making them uncomfortable with our pressure and caused them to turn the ball over. That energy transitioned to offense," said Simpson, who snagged a career-high seven steals of Yale's 11 in the game.

The X-factor for Yale was Allen, who scored well-above her average of 3.8 points per game. The junior center proved to be an offensive threat to Columbia right from the start, scoring 10 of her 15 in the first half.

"I really felt like I shot in rhythm today as I caught the ball. I was more consistent also," said Allen, who recorded the first double-double for Yale since Munzer's 12 point-11 rebound performance against Wagner on Dec. 17.

Allen admits the fight on the glass against the Lions was tough, but overall, a success. "They are a really good rebounding team and I was just trying to push a few of their players back."

The Bulldogs held a slight 34-33 rebounding edge over the Lions, but a convincing 13-8 offensive rebounding advantage. The Elis took 13 more shots than Columbia throughout the game.

The Yale defense continued its dominance, pressuring Columbia ball-handlers at every movement and holding the Lions to a 35.6-percent (16-of-45) shooting performance.

Columbia's leading scorer, Tori Oliver, scored an expensive 21 points for the Lions, which mostly came at the free throw line (4-of-16 FG, 13-of-16 FT). Simpson put the clamps on Oliver for most of the afternoon.

"This time around, I really knew what she liked to do, so I really focused on forcing her left and watching for her spin move," said Simpson. "I tried to make her uncomfortable so the only thing she could do was drive uncontrollably toward the hoop."

Up by as many as 17 points in the second half, Yale spent most of the final 20 minutes trying to hold-off the Lions. The Bulldogs turned a nine-point halftime lead into a 17-point lead only two minutes into the half following layups by Wyckoff, Simpson, and sophomore forward Katie Werner (Phoenix, Ariz.).

By the 8:41 mark, the Lions had cut the lead to eight points after a layup by Oliver, which was shortly followed by Werner diving on the ground for a steal and setting up a layup for Wyckoff to push the lead back to double-figures.

Down the stretch, free throw shooting was an issue for the Bulldogs, who made only 2-of-15 from the line by the four-minute mark of the second half. For the game, Yale finished 12-of-27 (44.4-percent) from the stripe.

As Columbia trailed late and continued to foul, the Bulldogs put the ball in the hands of one of their sharp-shooters. Munzer made three consecutive trips to the line, going 6-for-6, and icing the game for the Elis. The Lions didn't get within six points of Yale in the final two minutes.

Yale shot 41.7-percent from the field in the second half, topped only by its 50-percent (17-of-34) shooting clinic in the first half. The Bulldogs only made one three-pointer in the game, proving they could get it done with high-percentage shots down on the block.

Wyckoff and Allen both went into the locker room at halftime in double-figures, scoring 12 and 10 points, respectively, while shooting a combined 11-of-17 from the field. The duo scored six of Yale's final eight points of the half, helping the Elis to an 8-2 run and a nine-point lead at the intermission.

Werner had a strong game, scoring six points on 3-of-3 shooting with eight rebounds, including three offensive boards.

Simpson, a New York native, dished out four assists to go with her 11 points and seven steals. The freshman guard played in front of a large cheering section of family members, as well as friends from her days at the Portledge School, a private school in Locust Valley, N.Y.

With the win, the Bulldogs snap their four-game losing skid and will have a short week to prepare for the final road trip of the season at Princeton and Penn. Yale faces the still-undefeated Tigers on Friday at 7 p.m., followed by a meeting with the Quakers on Saturday night at 7 p.m.

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity