Oni Scores 16 To Lead Four Players In Double Figures

LORMAN, Mississippi – Yale's Thanksgiving turkey will taste just a little sweeter after a big road victory. Miye Oni led four players in double figures with 16 points as the Bulldogs rolled to an 87-73 victory over Alcorn State at the Davey L. Whitney Complex.

Paul Atkinson added 13 points, while Blake Reynolds and Azar Swain each had 11.

The game was Yale's fourth as part of the 2017 Hall of Fame Classic. The Bulldogs finished with two victories.

It was also the Bulldogs' first road win of the season.

"It's always good to win on the road," said James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs.

Yale (3-3) shot nearly 50 percent from the field and scored 50 second-half points.

The Bulldogs got a big contribution from their bench, which contributed 33 points.

"I feel really good about our bench," Jones said. "Those guys have taken the opportunity and made the most of it."

In addition to the 11 points from Swain, Yale got eight points from Noah Yates, five from Eric Monroe, three each from Wyatt Yess and Jameel Alausa, two from Thomas Ryan and one from Eric Anderson.

It was Yale's second straight game where all 12 players that dressed scored.

The Bulldogs built a 37-24 halftime lead but had to withstand an early second-half run from the Braves. Troymain Crosby's layup pulled Alcorn State within 44-41 with 15:45 left.

Jones, though, called a timeout, and Yale regrouped. The Bulldogs answered with a 9-1 run, capped by a Monroe three-pointer. The lead grew to 18, 63-45, when Swain hit a three-pointer midway through the second half.

"We responded to adversity really well," Jones said. "We got some stops and made some shots."

Yale's biggest lead was 21 with 9:16 remaining.

Dante Sterling and Reginal Johnson each scored 15 points to pace Alcorn State.

The Bulldogs forced 18 turnovers and limited the Braves to 40 percent shooting.

NOTES: Playing at Alcorn State was particularly special for Trey Phills. Phills' father, Bobby, played at Southern, a conference rival of Alcorn State, and once scored 60 points in a game at the Whitney Complex. Bobby later went on to play in the NBA for the Charlotte Hornets before he tragically passed away in a traffic accident when Trey was 3 years old. Trey's grandfather, Bobby Phills Sr, is a Chancellor-Dean at Southern and attended the game. It was the first time he had seen Trey play at Yale… Yale's other victory in the Hall of Fame Classic came over South Carolina State at Lee Amphitheater. The Bulldogs fell to Creighton and Wisconsin in the Classic… The 12:30 p.m. local start allowed Yale to make its way home following the game… The Bulldogs host Vermont on Saturday at 2 p.m.

Report filed by Tim Bennett (timothy.bennett@yale.edu), Yale Sports Publicity