PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Yale went on the road for its Ivy League opener, and the Bulldogs served notice they are ready to defend their back-to-back Ivy League regular season titles.
Danny Wolf scored 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds, had five assists and blocked three shots as Yale knocked off Brown 80-70 at the Pizzitola Center.
The Bulldogs (10-6, 1-0 Ivy) have won three straight games and five of their last six.
The Bears (4-12, 0-1 Ivy) lost their third straight.
TURNING POINT
Yale seized control from the opening tip. The Bulldogs scored the game's first 12 points and never relinquished the lead.
John Poulakidas had a pair of three-pointers in the opening run. Yale increased the advantage to 19 late in the first half before Brown closed to within 44-31 at halftime. The Bulldogs kept the lead in double digits for much of the second half, although the Bears did get as close as four with 3:36 to play.
STATISTICAL LEADERS
Bez Mbeng contributed 16 points, six rebounds, five assists and two steals for the Bulldogs. Poulakidas,
Nick Townsend and
August Mahoney each scored 11 points.
Casey Simmons (six points),
Yassine Gharram (five points),
Yussif Basa-Ama (two points) and
Samson Aletan (two points) led Yale's bench effort.
Kino Lilly Jr., the Ivy League's leading scorer, paced Brown with 23 points.
KEY STAT
The Bulldogs shot 52 percent (31-of-60) from the field, while limiting Brown to 45 percent (25-of-56).
NOTES:
• The Bulldogs improved to 9-1 in their last 10 Ivy League openers.
• The double-double for Wolf was his fifth of the season.
• Yale outscored Brown 44-28 in the paint.
• Yale has now won nine straight games over Brown. The two teams will play again on Mar. 9 in New Haven to close out the regular season.
•
Matt Knowling missed the game due to injury.
WHAT'S NEXT
Yale plays its only home game in the month of January on Monday, hosting Columbia. Tipoff at Lee Amphitheater on Martin Luther King Day is slated for 7 p.m.
