NEW HAVEN, Conn. – It was all-hands-on-deck for the Yale women's basketball team Saturday afternoon at Cornell, as the Bulldogs entered the game with only nine healthy players – and foul trouble and injuries during the game added to the challenge. But in the end Yale passed this test of its depth with flying colors, as four different players scored in double digits in a 63-42 win vs. the Big Red. The 21 point margin of victory was Yale's largest of the season.
Dealing with adversity is nothing new to this group. Way back in November Yale (12-14, 6-7 Ivy League) started the 2022-23 season with two players already out with season-ending injuries – including senior forward
Camilla Emsbo, the team's captain. Another starter, sophomore guard
Christen McCann, wound up missing the first 12 games with an injury. But she has been rounding into form lately, and she scored nine of her 11 points Saturday in the first half – helping Yale to a 40-23 lead by halftime. That included outscoring the Big Red 22-10 in the second quarter.
It soon became clear that one of the Bulldogs' biggest challenges would be just keeping everyone available. After one player got disqualified with 1:47 left in the first quarter, the Bulldogs were down to eight players. At 5:44 of the second quarter, sophomore guard
Nyla McGill – who had already contributed four rebounds – picked up her third foul. She got one more in the third, but managed to avoid getting to five.
Knowing that they would be short-handed to start the game, the Bulldogs had been preparing to test their depth. As a result, having McGill – the No. 2 rebounder in the Ivy League, and Yale's third-leading scorer – limited to 11:36 was just a small part of the challenge Yale faced and overcame.
"During the week we let them know they all needed to prepare to play," said
Dalila Eshe, Yale's Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Women's Basketball. "Everybody was really locked in, knowing they would get the opportunity. The biggest thing during the game was the fouls. We told them not to reach in or give the officials any reason to make a call. We did a good job in the second half of not fouling."
By the end of the third quarter, a last-second three-pointer from first-year guard
Kiley Capstraw had extended Yale's lead to 21. That was more than enough of a cushion to make the fourth quarter relatively stress-free. Cornell (10-16, 3-10 Ivy League) got no closer than 14 the rest of the way.
The Bulldogs pieced together their winning formula from some familiar sources. That included 10 points, seven rebounds and six assists from junior guard
Jenna Clark. Junior guard
Klara Astrom's 10 points marked the eighth time this season she has reached double digits. But it was the career-high 15 points from junior forward
Brenna McDonald that wound up leading the Bulldogs. She finished with a team-best nine rebounds as well.
"We definitely made an effort to get the ball in to her early," said Eshe. "She finishes well. Each game she is continuing to grow and get better."
The Bulldogs also enjoyed one of their finest defensive games of the year, limiting Cornell to a .276 shooting percentage (second-lowest of the season for a Yale opponent) and one made three-pointer.
"As a team, Cornell scores the most by getting to the rim," said Eshe. "I think we took that away from them. Our plan was to go under a lot of their actions, cushioning and preventing them from getting in the paint."
Winning a league game on the road with a depleted roster provides some positive momentum as the Bulldogs look to close out the 2022-23 season strong. They play their final game next Saturday, hosting Brown at 2:00 p.m.
"I liked our compete and our level-headedness," said Eshe.
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