NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale responded quite well to its first home loss of the season.
Azar Swain scored 21 points to lead three Bulldogs in double figures as Yale rolled to a 75-57 victory over Dartmouth at the John J. Lee Amphitheater.
Yale (17-5 overall) improved to 5-1 in Ivy League play and is back in first place.
Swain, coming off a 33-point performance on Friday vs. Harvard, finished 7-of-13 from the field and 5-of-8 from three-point range.
Paul Atkinson added 17 points and eight rebounds, and
Wyatt Yess, who made his first career start, contributed 11 points and seven rebounds. Yess replaced an injured
Jordan Bruner.
"I found out today," said Yess of his starting assignment. "I was a little nervous but very excited. It's what you practice for."
The Bulldogs, who were coming off a heartbreaking one-point loss to Harvard on Friday, got contributions from a number of different sources.
Eric Monroe matched his career high with eight assists and committed just one turnover in 26 efficient minutes.
Jalen Gabbidon scored seven points, and
Matthue Cotton added five points off the bench.
With Bruner out,
James Jones went deeper to his bench and was rewarded.
Jameel Alausa, August Mahoney, Eze Dike, Austin Williams and
Isaiah Kelly all had an impact.
"I wanted to give a number of guys an opportunity to show what they can do," said Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs.
Yess, a junior, certainly took full advantage. He was 4-of-5 from the field and made three 3 pointers. Entering the game, he had made three 3-pointers in his first 47 career games.
"Wyatt was terrific," Jones said. "He played with a great deal of confidence."
Yale started strong, building an early 23-9 lead. The Big Green, though, fought back and was within 40-36 at halftime.
The Bulldogs then seized control with a terrific second half. They outscored Dartmouth 35-21 and limited the Big Green to just 32 percent shooting from the field over the final 20 minutes.
The convincing victory put to rest any fear of any lasting effects from Friday's last-second loss.
"You just need to reset your mind," said Monroe, the team captain. "We were talking to each other all day about focusing on the next game."
After playing five of their first six Ivy games in the friendly confines of Lee Amphitheater, the Bulldogs now face the prospect of four straight road games, starting Friday at Princeton. Tipoff at Jadwin Gym is slated for 7 p.m., and ESPNews has the telecast.
