Penn at Yale
Sat., Jan. 21 – 6 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
TV: NESN
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Yale Game Notes
NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale men's basketball team continues its three-game homestand with a visit from Penn on Saturday. Tip off is slated for 6 p.m., and fans are encouraged to wear white as part of a "White Out" promotion at Lee Amphitheater.
In the first of the three home games, the Bulldogs (12-6, 2-3 Ivy) edged Brown 81-78 on Martin Luther King Day.
August Mahoney scored a career-high 20 points, including a clutch three-pointer that tied the score at 75 and ignited a late 9-0 run that lifted Yale to victory. Mahoney finished 7-of-9 from the field and 4-of-5 from three-point range. He was part of a hot-shooting night for the Bulldogs, who were 8-of-12 from long distance.
Over its last two games, Yale has averaged 81.5 points, shot 51.3 percent from the field and made 14 three-pointers. For a majority of the season, it's been defense that has carried the Bulldogs, who are 20th nationally in field goal percentage defense (.391) and 22nd in scoring defense (61.3). Yale also is one of the top rebounding teams in the nation and sits at No. 6 in rebound margin at +8.4. The Bulldogs have outrebounded 14 of their 18 opponents and are 10-4 when they do.
Yale is 6-1 in the friendly confines of Lee Amphitheater. In the four non-conference home games, the Bulldogs had an average margin of victory of 46.8 points. Not surprisingly, it's been more challenging in a deep and competitive Ivy League. All three of Yale's home Ivy games have been decided by four points or less.
Three Bulldogs average double figures in scoring, led by
Matt Knowling at 15.1 ppg., which is fifth in the Ivy League.
EJ Jarvis (10.3 ppg.) and
John Poulakidas (10.3 ppg.) are the other double figure scorers.
In his last three games, Jarvis is averaging 11.7 points and 7.0 rebounds. Knowling and Jarvis are two of the most accurate shooters in the league. Knowling (60.4 percent) is second in the conference (and 26th in the nation) in field goal percentage, while Jarvis (57.0 percent) is fourth in the league.
There have been a number of significant contributors for Yale this season. Nine different Bulldogs have scored in double figures at least once, seven have led the team in scoring and 11 have led the team in rebounding.
After not having a home game in December, Yale has four of its five January contests at Lee. The final one comes next Saturday (Jan. 28) vs. Princeton.
HISTORY LESSONS
Yale has won nine of the last 10 meetings with Penn at Lee Amphitheater, including an 81-72 victory last year.
Bez Mbeng was strong on both ends of the floor for the Bulldogs, finishing with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists, while also doing his usual stellar defensive job. He helped hold Jordan Dingle, Penn's leading scorer, to just 10 points. The game featured 10 ties and four lead changes. The home team has won the last nine games in the series during the regular season. The Bulldogs beat the Quakers 67-61 in the semifinals of last year's Ivy League Tournament at Harvard. The first game between the teams came in 1897. Penn leads the all-time series 152-84.
SCOUTING PENN
The Quakers (9-10, 2-3 Ivy) feature one of the nation's most dynamic scorers in Jordan Dingle, who is third nationally at 23.4 ppg. Dingle was named to the Oscar Robinson Trophy Midseason Watch List earlier this week. The Robinson Trophy is presented to the nation's top collegiate player by the United States Basketball Writers Association. Dingle has scored in double figures in 26 straight games dating back to last year, the sixth-longest streak in school history. Clark Slajchert (15.9 ppg.) also is an offensive threat. He is fourth in the league in scoring. The Quakers lead the league in free throw percentage at .752 and are led by Slajchert, who has made 44-of-47 foul shots. Penn is spending a long weekend in Connecticut. The Quakers play at Hartford on Monday in their final non-Ivy game.
