Yale vs. Howard
Wednesday, Jan. 1 – 1 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
New Haven, Conn.
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Yale men's basketball opens 2025 with a game against Howard at Lee Amphitheater on New Year's Day. The Bulldogs, who last played at the Sun Bowl Invitational on Dec. 20-21, enter the matinee, and their final non-conference tilt of the season, with a 6-6 overall record.

Last Time Out

• The Bulldogs competed in the Sun Bowl Invitational Championship game, falling to the host, UTEP, 75-74, on Dec. 21.
• Riley Fox recorded season-highs in points (19), minutes (26), 3-point field goals made (5) and blocks (1).
• The freshman's 19-point outburst led both sides in scoring.
• Fox also matched his season high in rebounds with five.
• The Bulldogs outrebounded the Miners 43-28, including 16-5 on the offensive glass. It was the third-straight game Yale outrebounded its opponent by double figures.
• Yale outscored UTEP in the paint 32-24 and on second chance opportunities 18-5.
• Yale's bench scored 45 points in the matchup.
• Nick Townsend recorded his second-straight double-double, and third in five games, with his 11-point, 13 rebound performance.

 
Bulldog Notes

• Five players are averaging at least 8.0 points per game – with three of those players averaging in double figures. John Poulakidas (21.1), Nick Townsend (13.3), and Bez Mbeng (11.5) are in double-digit point production, while Isaac Celiscar and Casey Simmons are averaging 8.5 and 8.4 ppg, respectively.
• Townsend and Celiscar have also been important contributors on the glass with the former averaging 7.0 rebounds per game and the latter averaging 6.0.
• Townsend is second in the Ivy League in defensive rebounds per game (5.8), while Celiscar is second in offensive rebounds per game (3.0).
• Casey Simmons is first in the Ivy League in field goal percentage (67.7%), while first year Isaac Celiscar is fourth (54.8%).  
• Nick Townsend has scored in double-digits in seven-straight games including a 20-point performance against Delaware on Nov. 24.
• Townsend has also notched double doubles in back-to-back games. He had an 18-point, 11-rebound game against Akron before posting 11 points and 13 rebounds against UTEP.
• John Poulakidas has registered double-digit points in all nine of his appearances this season. He has 20+ in six of those contests.
• Poulakidas is 11^th in the country in points per game (21.1) and 10th in free throw percentage (94.1). He leads the Ivy League in free throw percentage.
• Bez Mbeng is tied for 36th in the country in assists per game (5.6).

Season Notes

• Bez Mbeng sits at 160 career steals, which is second place all-time by a Yale player. He is just seven steals shy of tying the program record held by Alex Zampier who registered 167 between 2006-10.
• Head Coach James Jones picked up his 400^th career win in the Yale's 91-66 showing over Fairfield on Nov. 23. Jones is in his 26^th season with Yale.
• John Poulakidas registered his 1,000^th career point against Delaware on Nov. 24.
• Bez Mbeng played in his 100^th career game for Yale against Vermont on Dec. 7.
• Seniors John Poulakidas and Bez Mbeng were named to the 2024-25 Lou Henson Early Season Watch List. The award is presented annually to the top player in mid-major college basketball.
• Poulakidas and Mbeng are two of six Ivy League players on the list. They join Princeton's Xavian Lee and Caden Pierce, Brown's Kino Lilly, Jr., and Columbia's Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa.

 
A Look at History Against Howard

• Yale leads the all-time series, 3-0.
• It is the third-straight year that the Bulldogs and Bison will be going head-to-head. 
• Last time out, Yale took an 86-78 overtime victory over Howard in D.C. on Jan. 3, 2024.
• The first and only time the pair met in New Haven was on Nov. 30, 2022, which saw Yale make a school-record 18 three-pointers in a dominant 86-40 victory. August Mahoney (6) and John Poulakidas (4) combined for 10 of the threes.
• The only other meeting was an 89-75 victory in favor of the Bulldogs on Jan. 20, 2020.

 
Scouting the Bison

• Howard enters the matinee with a 5-8 overall record, and are coming off of two-straight losses. 
• In its last outing on Dec. 28, Howard fell to Hampton, 83-67 in Virginia. They dropped a tilt to Drexel on Dec. 17, 68-65. 
• Blake Harper and Marcus Dockery, who both have appeared in all 13 games for the Bison, lead the team in scoring.
• Harper is averaging 17.5 points per game on 44.2% shooting from the field and 36.2% shooting from three-point range. He also averages 6.7 rebounds per game.
• Dockery averages 16.0 points per game and is one of their most effective offensive contributors with 46.5% shooting from the field and 44.6% shooting from beyond the arc. He also is 13-14 shooting from the free throw line.

 
Up Next
Yale begins Ivy League play with a game at home against Brown on Saturday, Jan. 11. Following that tilt, they travel to Columbia on Jan. 18 before returning to Lee Amphitheater for two-straight home games against Dartmouth and Harvard on Jan. 20 and Jan. 25, respectively.