NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Yale is making a habit of big second halves. On Sunday, it wasn't quite enough to overcome Stony Brook. On Wednesday, it was more than enough to dispose of Lehigh. The Bulldogs shot 54.5 percent from the field, including 7-of-11 from three-point range, and scored 57 second-half points in an impressive 82-72 victory over Lehigh at the John J. Lee Amphitheater.
It wasn't just offense, though, that led the way. Yale's defense played a role as well, limiting the Mountain Hawks to 2-of-13 shooting from beyond the arc in the second half.
"We got some energy from what we were doing defensively," said
James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. "Offensively, we got some matchups that were favorable to us."
Jalen Gabbidon led the charge, scoring all of his career-high 22 points over the final 20 minutes. He missed his only shot of the first half and then went 6-of-8 and hit four three-pointers after the break.
Azar Swain added 23 points,
Matthue Cotton scored 12 and
Isaiah Kelly and
EJ Jarvis each finished with nine points.
Trailing 33-25 at halftime, the Bulldogs wasted little time seizing control. A Cotton three-pointer in transition put Yale in front for good, 45-43, with 15:10 left.
The lead quickly grew to 10, 53-43, on a three-point play by Gabbidon.
Lehigh, which took Rutgers to overtime earlier in the season and has a victory over Columbia on its resume, never got closer than five the rest of the way.
"It was a really good team effort in the second half," said Swain, who has now scored 20 or more points in five of his last six games.
Yale forced 16 Lehigh turnovers in the game, which led to 25 points.
Kelly, Gabbidon and Cotton each grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Bulldogs on the boards.
Next up for Yale is a trip to Alabama to face Auburn on Saturday. Tip off is slated for 2 p.m. EST, and the game will be televised on ESPNU.
