DENVER, Colo. – It is still early in the 2022-23 season, but the Yale women's basketball team has already racked up critical experience dealing with pressure situations. The latest came Friday afternoon at the University of Denver Classic, where New Mexico State rallied back from a 12 point deficit to tie the Bulldogs 65-65 with 2:16 to play. But with momentum seemingly on the Aggies' side, Yale came up with a series of big plays down the stretch to earn a 73-65 win. It was the Bulldogs' fourth victory in a row, all by nine or fewer points.
Yale (4-2, 0-0 Ivy League) led 42-30 after a three-pointer by first-year guard
Kiley Capstraw at the 4:53 mark of the third quarter, part of a 23 point game for the Bulldogs' rookie sensation. But New Mexico State (2-2, 0-0 WAC) would not go down without a fight. The Aggies got within three with 1:20 left in the quarter before five straight points from Capstraw gave the Bulldogs a slightly bigger cushion heading into the fourth – they led 54-46.
A three-pointer from junior guard
Elles van der Maas extended Yale's lead to nine early in the fourth, but the Aggies had a couple more runs left in them. They got within one, 59-58, with 4:46 to play. Junior guard
Klara Astrom then came up with a huge steal and a layup, drawing a foul in the process. Her free throw got the lead to four.
NMSU answered with a 7-3 run that knotted the score at 65. Astrom once again came up big after that, driving the baseline for a layup and drawing another foul with 1:55 to play. When her foul shot rolled around the rim and out, van der Maas swooped in for a critical rebound. Sophomore guard/forward
Mackenzie Egger then banked in a shot with the shot clock running out and 1:32 left on the game clock to get the lead to four.
On the ensuing NMSU possession, excellent defense by Egger and sophomore guard
Nyla McGill at the other end of the court forced a turnover. The Aggies eventually got the ball back and missed a shot to get within two with 51 seconds left. A combined 4-for-4 performance at the free throw line by junior guard
Jenna Clark and Capstraw in the final 14 seconds made the final 73-65.
Yale finished with three players in double digits – Capstraw at 23 and Clark and McGill with 11 each. Clark had a game-high five assists and McGill had a game-high eight rebounds. Capstraw was 5-for-6 on three pointers en route to the second 20+ point game of her young Yale career. She was a big reason behind Yale's 36-12 advantage in bench scoring.
The Bulldogs' four-game winning streak is their longest since winning five in a row Jan. 8-23, 2022. In three of those four games, Yale's opponent got at least within four points of the Bulldogs in the final two minutes.
The Denver Classic continues Saturday. Yale plays Houston Christian, which defeated host Denver Friday, at 2:30 p.m. MT/4:30 p.m. ET before flying back to the East Coast.
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