NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Ever since she burst onto the scene with a combined 21 points and nine rebounds in her first two college games earlier this year, the feeling has been that Yale women's basketball first-year guard
Christen McCann has ice water in her veins. On Monday afternoon at Lee Amphitheater she added further proof, delivering the game-winning basket in the final seconds to give the Bulldogs an exhilarating 69-67 win vs. Brown.
McCann's play came off a baseline out-of-bounds pass from sophomore guard
Jenna Clark. McCann got the ball at the top of the key, drove right and found her way through three Brown defenders to get the game-winning shot up and in.
"We were running a play where we were sealing their 2-3 zone," said
Allison Guth, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Basketball. "We knew Christen was going to be an option at the top with either a drive or a flash."
With two sophomores and two first years on the court for the critical play, Guth knew she would be relying on some of her team's younger players to come through. But 15 games – and 15 starts – into her Yale career, McCann looks more and more like a veteran every day.
"Chris is such a clutch shooter and scorer," said Guth. "We have a lot of faith in her."
It was clear from the start that Monday's game was going to be a battle, as Brown (5-11, 0-4 Ivy League) capped a back-and-forth first quarter with a buzzer-beating three from guard Bella Mauricio to take a 22-21 lead into the second quarter.
The Bears extended their lead to as many as 11 points in the second, taking a 34-23 lead while shooting a blistering 13 for 21 (.619). A jumper by McCann right before halftime cut Yale's deficit to four, 41-37.
Brown led for much of the third quarter as well. After Yale took a 50-47 lead with an 8-0 run that included five points from senior forward
Alex Cade and three points from McCann, the Bears answered with a 9-3 run and took a 56-55 lead into the final quarter.
Neither team led by more than four in the fourth as the game came down to the wire. The Bulldogs trailed 59-57 before a pair of jumpers from sophomore forward
Elles van der Maas gave Yale a two-point advantage. The Bears fought back to tie the game three times in the final 3:45 but they never took the lead. That included a critical Brown possession with 26 seconds left and the score tied at 67. Sophomore guard
Klara Astrom's steal helped set up McCann's heroics.
After McCann's shot, the clock was re-set to 1.4 seconds and Yale (10-6, 3-1 Ivy League) sealed the win when Clark intercepted a desperation heave down court by Brown.
McCann finished with a team-high 19 points, a career high for her. Cade added 18 points, a career high for her, and had a game-high 11 rebounds. Astrom had 10 points, five assists and four steals.
The win was all the more impressive given that Yale played without junior forward
Camilla Emsbo, the team's leader in scoring (14.9 points per game) and rebounding (10.2 rebounds per game), who was sidelined by an injury. The Bulldogs still enjoyed a 43-31 advantage in rebounds and a 22-0 advantage in second-chance points. First year guard/forward
Mackenzie Egger slid into the starting lineup for the second time in three games, chipping in three rebounds and three assists.
"This season we have had so many different lineups," said Guth. "We're a real team, with the ability for any of our players to step up. [Sophomore forward
Haley Sabol]'s minutes were crucial. She hit a three-pointer and had a couple big rebounds. And we were able to start two first years and have them grind it out."
Yale hosts Penn Saturday at 2:00 p.m.
