WASHINGTON, D.C. – Yale appears ready for the start of Ivy League play. John Poulakidas scored 23 points to lead four Bulldogs in double figures as Yale closed non-conference play with a hard-fought 86-78 overtime win at Howard at Burr Gymnasium.
 
The Bulldogs, who have won two straight games and three of their last four, outscored the Bison 15-7 in the extra period.
 
Yale (9-6) opens Ivy play next Tuesday at Brown.
 
STATISTICAL LEADERS
 
Bez Mbeng (14 points), Matt Knowling (14) and Casey Simmons (11) joined Poulakidas in double figures. Simmons added 11 rebounds to post his first double-double at Yale. Nick Townsend scored nine points and grabbed eight rebounds, while Knowling had eight rebounds and five assists.
 
STRONG BENCH PLAY
 
In addition to Simmons, the Bulldogs got solid contributions from Samson Aletan (7 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks), Yussif Basa-Ama (5 points, 2 rebounds) and Yassine Gharram (2 assists, 2 rebounds) off the bench. Yale's bench outscored Howard's reserves 23-5
 
KEY STAT
 
The Bulldogs outrebounded Howard 51-32. Yale had 25 offensive rebounds which led to 34 second-chance points.
 
TURNING POINT
 
After Howard rallied from a 16-point second-half deficit, Yale opened the overtime period with a 7-1 run, capped by a big Poulakidas three-pointer with 49 seconds remaining. The Bison never got closer than three the rest of the way.
 
NOTES:
 
• Yale and Howard were playing for the third time. The Bulldogs beat the Bison 89-75 in DC on Martin Luther King Day in 2020 and 86-40 last year at Lee Amphitheater.
 
• Poulakidas had a big first half. He was 6-of-9 from the field, including 4-of-5 from three-point range. His turn around jumper beat the buzzer to give Yale a 36-31 lead after 20 minutes.
 
• Yale's leading scorer Danny Wolf was out of the lineup due to illness.
 
WHAT'S AHEAD
 
The Ivy opener at Brown is a 7 p.m. tip, and the game will be televised nationally on ESPNU. The Bulldogs play their Ivy home opener on Martin Luther King Day (Jan. 15) against Columbia at 7 p.m. at Lee Amphitheater. Three of Yale's first four league games are on the road.