NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Fueled by a season-best performance from Casey Simmons, Yale defeated the Vermont Catamounts 65-50 Saturday afternoon at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. The win brought the Bulldogs back to .500 on the season at 5-5. 

Notable Stats

• The Bulldogs opened the contest with an 8-0 run in the first 3:23.
• Casey Simmons notched season-highs in points (18), rebounds (8), assists (2) and steals (3) in the win.
• Today was Bez Mbeng's 100th career game as a Bulldog.
• With a three-steal performance, Bez Mbeng now sits at 156 career steals, one away from moving into second place all-time by a Yale player. That position is currently held by Daniel Okonkwo, who had 157 during his career with the Bulldogs from 1993-97.
• The Yale defense forced three Vermont shot clock violations in the second half.
• Yale out-rebounded Vermont 40-29 and outscored it 30-20 in the paint.
• Vermont's TJ Hurley led both sides in scoring with a 21-point game, including five 3-pointers.

Turning Point

• Down 30-24 early in the second half, Bez Mbeng and Isaac Celiscar hit 3-pointers on consecutive trips up the court for the Bulldogs, evening the score up at 30. Those baskets kick-started what became a 12-0 run for Yale, giving them a 36-30 lead, one they never relented.
• After trailing 24-22 at the half, Yale ultimately outscored Vermont 43-26 in the final 20 minutes to secure the victory.

Hear from Coach Jones
"Vermont has been a good team in the northeast year in and year out, as have we," said James Jones, Joel E. Smilow '54 Head Coach. "It's a good game to know that you're a pretty good team when you can beat that program."

Next Up on the Docket
The Bulldogs will be back in action on Friday, Dec. 20 when they travel to El Paso, Texas to face off against Akron in the Sun Bowl Invitational. Tip-off is scheduled for 7 p.m. EST.