Oberlin at Yale
Friday, Nov. 8, 7 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
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NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The last time they played a game that counted on their home floor, the Bulldogs rolled to a 97-85 victory over Harvard and then celebrated the Ivy League Tournament title and automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. That capped another dominant season in the John J. Lee Amphitheater where Yale posted an 11-2 record. The Bulldogs hope to continue that success this season. Their first opportunity comes on Friday when they host Oberlin. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. ESPN+ has the video.
 
Yale's home success isn't limited to last year. Over the last seven seasons, the Bulldogs have a 70-19 record at Lee. Their last loss to a non-conference opponent at home came on Dec. 22, 2017, vs. Monmouth.
 
Yale made a big statement on the road in its season opener on Tuesday, earning a hard-fought 74-69 overtime victory over a Stony Brook team that won 24 games a year ago and participated in the postseason College Basketball Invitational.
 
The Bulldogs got significant contributions from three upperclassmen in the victory. Paul Atkinson (career-high 26 points), Azar Swain (17 points) and Jordan Bruner (11 points) combined to score 54 of Yale's 74 points. Others, though, made big plays in the extra period. Eric Monroe and Jalen Gabbidon hit back-to-back three pointers as the Bulldogs opened up a quick five-point lead that they never relinquished.
 
Bruner, meanwhile, excelled on both ends of the floor. In addition to hitting 5-of-10 shots, he had six assists, four blocks and altered a number of other shots.
 
Tuesday's trip to Stony Brook was a homecoming for James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs, who grew up on Long Island about 25 minutes from the Seawolves campus. It resulted in a milestone victory for Jones as well, the 311^th of his career, moving him past Fran Dunphy and into second place all-time in Ivy League history.
 
Yale is in the midst of a busy start to the season. The Bulldogs leave for Northern California on Saturday where they will face San Francisco on Monday. Yale doesn't play at Lee Amphitheater again until Nov. 20 vs. Siena.
 
HISTORY LESSONS
 
Oberlin is making its third trip to New Haven since 2008. The Bulldogs won the first two by an average margin of 54.5 points. The first meeting between the teams came in 1907, a 34-27 Yale victory.
 
SCOUTING OBERLIN
 
The reason for the Yeomen's frequent trips to New Haven is their head coach Isaiah Cavaco is a 2001 Yale graduate and played for and served as an assistant coach for James Jones. Cavaco enjoyed a solid career as a guard for the Bulldogs. As a first year, he was the recipient of the John C. Cobb Award as the team's top freshman. He started the very first game of his Yale career against UConn at the Hartford Civic Center. In his sophomore year, he led the team in three-pointers (36) and assists (72). His assist total was eighth in the Ivy League. A knee injury limited him to five games as a junior, and that was when he started thinking about a career in coaching. Oberlin was 13-13 last year.