NEW HAVEN, Conn. – A brief break after Thanksgiving wound up being just what the Yale women's basketball team needed. Seven days after the final game of their trip to California, the Bulldogs returned to the court on Tuesday night against Marist at John J. Lee Amphitheater and delivered their most complete performance of the year. They limited the Red Foxes to a .315 shooting performance and had six players score at least six points each en route to a 61-45 win. Junior guard
Nyla McGill led Yale with 11 points and nine rebounds, while senior guard
Jenna Clark led with eight assists and no turnovers.
Yale's defense was on point from the start, limiting Marist to eight points in the first quarter and nine in the second. The Bulldogs led by nine, 26-17, at halftime.
Yale (1-6, 0-0 Ivy League) extended the lead to as many as 17 points in the third quarter, never giving Marist (2-4, 0-0 MAAC) much hope of a comeback. After the Red Foxes got within 11 on a three-pointer by guard Julia Corsentino with 4:19 left in the quarter, a pair of layups by McGill and one by junior guard/forward
Mackenzie Egger got the lead to 43-26 within a span of just over two and a half minutes.
Marist got back within 11 by scoring the first basket of the fourth quarter. But the Red Foxes missed on multiple chances to cut into the lead further, and sophomore guard
Kiley Capstraw scored the game's next four points to restore Yale's cushion. The lead never got lower than 13 the rest of the way.
Notes
- Yale limited Marist to a .214 shooting performance (three for 14) in the second quarter, including just one for 10 on the Red Foxes' final 10 shots.
- This was just Yale's second home game of the year. Five of the team's first six games were on the road.
- Sophomore guard Lola Lesmond, who missed all but one game last year due to injury, provided a highlight in the fourth quarter by hitting a three-pointer for her first career points.
Quotes from Coach Eshe
- On the team's defense: "We did a good job really focusing on the details from the scout. No. 20 (forward Zaria Shazer) is their leading scorer, and we forced her to her left hand. We took away what their strengths were."
- On the offensive depth, including six players scoring six or more points: "The offense was awesome; we distributed the ball well. Jenna had eight assists and no turnovers. In the first and second quarter we were trying to get the offense going, and we did in the third and fourth quarters, which is flipped from what we've usually been doing."
- On Lola Lesmond scoring her first career points: "It's a really big deal for her, to find her confidence and see one go down. Not only did she find her shot, but the team did an excellent job executing and getting her an open look."
Up Next
- Yale hosts UMass Friday at 7:00 p.m.
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