Simpson Just Five Steals Away From Yale Record
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – After five consecutive road games over three weeks, the Yale women's basketball team returns to the Lee Amphitheater for a special weekend – welcoming Dartmouth and Harvard for the ninth-annual Pink Zone weekend.
The Bulldogs (11-12, 2-4 Ivy) host the Big Green on Friday at 7 p.m. and Harvard on Saturday at 7 p.m., with both games available on the Ivy League Digital Network. Yale's Pink Zone game will be celebrated on Saturday against the Crimson.
Admission is free to the Harvard game, while donations will be accepted on behalf of the Closer to Free program. The Smilow Cancer Hospital and Yale Cancer Center joined forces to create the program, which provides funding for patient care and breakthrough cancer research.
All fans in attendance are encouraged to wear pink as a stand against cancer. The night will be filled with special ceremonies and opportunities to learn about the great work that the Closer to Free program continues to do.
Despite a current four-game losing skid, the Elis look to get back in the win column at home. Yale is 8-1 in the Lee Amphitheater this season, winning those eight games by an average of 18.6 points.
Recently, the Bulldogs dropped a pair of games to Columbia and Cornell on the road, leaving them in a fifth-place tie with Dartmouth in the Ivy League. With eight games remaining, two wins this weekend might be enough to propel the Elis back into the upper half of the league.
Sophomore guard Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y.) had 19 points in the loss to Columbia, as well as her first-career double-double of 19 points and 10 rebounds against Cornell. Her impressive weekend landed her on the Ivy League Weekly Honor Roll for the eighth time this season.
Junior guard Meghan McIntyre (Santa Rosa Valley, Calif.) scored a career-high 19 points against the Big Red, breaking her previous high of 17 set against Indiana back on Dec. 28. McIntyre's 8-of-16 performance helped the Elis nearly overcome a 13-point deficit at Cornell.
Yale remains to be one of the most productive defensive teams in the league, ranking second in forced turnovers (17.7 per game) and steals (9.1). Simpson leads the league with 3.0 thefts per game and is just five away from becoming Yale's single-season record holder.
Six of the remaining eight games on Yale's schedule will be played at home, making for a strong finish to the season. The Bulldogs' chase to climb up the Ivy League standings begins on Friday.
Scouting the Dartmouth Big Green
The Big Green (7-15, 2-4 Ivy) are coming off two losses to Princeton and Penn this past weekend in Hanover, N.H. Their two league wins have come against Harvard and Columbia, tying them for fifth place in the Ivy League with Yale.
Senior F Lakin Roland leads the team with 15.3 points and 8.5 rebounds per game, while sophomore G Kate Letkewicz is adding 11.2 points per contest.
Dartmouth ranks last in the Ivy League in points per game, field goal percentage and rebounding – including offensive and defensive boards. The Big Green finished in sixth place last season with a 14-14 (5-9 Ivy) record.
The Bulldogs beat Dartmouth in both games in 2014-15, winning by an average of 19.5 points per game. On Yale's Senior Night, the Elis finished their campaign with a convincing 53-28 victory over the Big Green – helping them finish league play at 7-7.
Report on the Harvard Crimson
Following back-to-back losses to Penn and Princeton, the Crimson (8-11, 3-3 Ivy) sit in fourth place in the Ivy League. Harvard took the Tigers to the limit on Saturday, losing 92-83 in overtime to the defending league champions.
Senior F AnnMarie Healy leads the team with 16 points per game, while senior G Shilpa Tummala has added 12.2 points and a team-best 6.2 rebounds per contest.
Harvard leads the league in three-point attempts per game (21.9) and ranks last in the Ivy in points allowed to opponents (66.2 per game). The Crimson have beaten Dartmouth, Cornell (in overtime), and Columbia to this point.
The Bulldogs were swept by Harvard last season in two games decided by 10 points or fewer. Yale looks for its first win over the Crimson since a 68-63 win on Jan. 27, 2012 in Cambridge, Mass.
Bulldogs by the Numbers
Finding a Rhythm: Tamara Simpson has scored in double-figures in five of the last six games, averaging 12 points per game. Most recently, she had consecutive 19-point efforts in losses to Columbia and Cornell.
Producing When It Counts: Whitney Wyckoff leads the team with 6.4 rebounds and 3.4 assists per game in league play (six games). Overall, Wyckoff is eighth in the Ivy League with 3.0 assists and 14th in rebounds with 5.9 per game.
Rebounding Matters: Most games this season have been decided by rebounding, as Yale is 8-2 when outrebounding its opponent, but 3-10 when being outrebounded. The Elis outrebounded Cornell on Saturday, 42-40, with Simpson grabbing a team-high 10.
Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity
