NEW HAVEN, Conn. – With hundreds of schoolchildren packing Lee Amphitheater for a special Kids Day afternoon game Thursday, the Yale women's basketball team put together its most complete game of the year. The Bulldogs limited Sacred Heart to 25% shooting, outrebounded the Pioneers 50-28 and had a season-high 19 assists en route to delivering a dominant 87-40 win in front of their young fans. It was the team's largest margin of victory since an 82-30 win vs. St. Bonaventure Dec. 5, 1981.
"That was the best 40 minutes of basketball we've played this year," said
Allison Guth, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Basketball. "The team was very focused on our goals each quarter. Holding a team to 40 points is a big deal."
Yale (7-3, 0-0 Ivy League) had not played in 12 days, following an 80-66 loss to St. John's that marked just the second defeat for the team in a span of nearly three weeks. The Bulldogs clearly took their lessons from that loss to heart.
"We wanted to be better in our pack defense," said Guth. "We wanted to value our possessions. And we wanted to share the ball better."
The Bulldogs' work paid off immediately, starting with a 9-0 run to open the game. Sophomore forward
Camilla Emsbo had the first four of those points en route to a 23 point, nine-rebound game.
The Bulldogs led 24-12 after one, then outscored the Pioneers 29-11 in the second quarter. They expanded that lead by 10 in the third quarter and seven in the fourth quarter to finish with the decisive 47 point win.
With a comfortable lead throughout the second half, the Bulldogs had the luxury of managing their starters' minutes. None of them played more than 26, though they still put up some impressive numbers -- including a career-high seven assists (and just one turnover) for junior guard
Ellen Margaret Andrews and 11 points in just 18 minutes for senior guard
Roxy Barahman. The Bulldogs had several players star off the bench, led by 13 points from first-year guard
Klara Astrom.
"I'm so happy for that kid," said Guth. "She gives it her all in practice. She played such great defense today. That's her biggest stride. She gives us a lot of depth."
The game also saw a pair of sophomores, forward
Erin Hill and guard
Roxanne Nesbitt, notch their first points of the season. For Nesbitt, her free throw at 1:28 marked her first career point.
"I'm really happy for Roxanne," said Guth. "That was a cool possession for her. She defended really well, then took it right to the basket. And E Hill has had a tremendous week of practice. She has a lot to her game that we want to get to."
Sacred Heart (3-7, 0-0 NEC) was led by eight points from guard Sonia Smith.
The Bulldogs now disperse for the holidays before regrouping in North Carolina for a game vs. the Tar Heels Dec. 28. Thanks to Thursday's win -- and crowd -- they have plenty of momentum heading into the break.
"We're so appreciative of our marketing department and the work they put in to get this crowd here," said Guth. "For every college kid, it's a dream to play in front of a fan base this excited."
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