Yale vs. Brown
Saturday, Jan. 11 – 12 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
New Haven, Conn.
ESPNU | Live Stats | International Stream | Game Notes

Yale men's basketball opens Ivy League play with a game against Brown at Lee Amphitheater on Saturday, Jan. 11. The Bulldogs, who last played against Howard to close their non-conference slate, enter the conference opener with a 7-6 overall record.  

Last Time Out

• The Bulldogs started the new year out on a high note, securing a dominant 93-65 victory over Howard at home. 
• Four Bulldogs tallied double-figures, but Samson Aletan's 15-point first half coupled by his 6-of-7 shooting and perfect 7-of-7 from the free throw line for the game was a bright spot for Yale.
• John Poulakidas shot 50% from three-point range and picked up 17 points, while adding seven rebounds in his return to the lineup.
• The Bulldogs dished out 24 assists, highlighted by seven assists from Bez Mbeng and six assists from Isaac Celiscar. It was the second highest assist total this season next to a 32-assist outing against Emerson on Nov. 13.
• 22 of Yale's points came off turnovers.
• Aletan's 19-point performance was a career-high for the sophomore.
• The Bulldogs were sensational from deep, making a season-high 14 three-pointers. 
• Yale also tied a season-high three-point shooting percentage making 50% (14-of-28) of its shots from beyond the arc.

Bulldog Notes

• Four players are averaging at least 8.0 points per game, with Poulakidas leading the way with 20.7 points per game, which ranks first in the Ivy League. 
• Poulakidas' 20.7 points per game also ranks 11th nationally. 
• Nick Townsend ranks second on the team in scoring (13.4 ppg), and Bez Mbeng is third (11.0 ppg).
• Poulakidas has recorded double-digit points in all 10 games he's played in. He has 20+ in six •of them.
• Townsend has tallied double-digit points in his past eight games, highlighted by a season-high 20 with 10 rebounds, picking up his second-career double-double. The junior is also fifth in the Ivy League, averaging 6.8 rebounds per game.  
• Casey Simmons' field goal efficiency has been a bright spot for the Bulldogs as he sinks 67.3% of his attempts, whichs ranks first in the Ivy League. 
• Poulakidas ranks eighth nationally in three pointers per game (3.60)
• As a team, the Bulldogs rank 12th nationally, averaging 18.3 assists per game. 

Season Notes

• Mbeng sits at 162 career steals, which is second place all-time by a Yale player. He is just five steals shy of tying the program record held by Alex Zampier who registered 167 between 2006-10.
• Head Coach James Jones picked up his 400th career win in the Yale's 91-66 showing over Fairfield on Nov. 23. Jones is in his 26th season with Yale.
• Poulakidas scored his 1,000th career point against Delaware on Nov. 24.
• Mbeng played his 100th career game for Yale against Vermont on Dec. 7.
• Poulakidas and 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 Brown

• Yale is 118-54 all-time against the Bears.
• The two teams last met in the 2024 Ivy Madness championship game, with Yale winning a 62-61 thriller.
• The victory sent the Bulldogs to the NCAA Tournament as the Ivy League's automatic qualifier. 
• Poulakidas paced the Bulldogs in the win with a team-high 18 points. 
• The two teams met three times in 2024, including the Ivy League opener on January 9 in Providence. The Bulldogs won that contest 80-70, and improved to 9-1 in their past 10 Ivy League openers. 

Scouting the Bears

• The Bears enter the game with a 8-5 overall record. 
•  Brown is coming off a 98-57 win over Johnson & Wales on Sunday, Jan. 5.
• The Bears were predicted to finish third in the Ivy League preseason poll with 92 points and one first place vote. 
• Kino Lilly Jr. paces the Brown offense, averaging 19.7 points per game, which ranks second in the Ivy League behind Poulakidas (20.7). Lilly Jr. is also a First Team All-Ivy honoree in 2023-24. 
•  Lilly Jr. is first in the Ivy League in three-point field goals per game (3.8).
• On the boards, Landon Lewis leads Brown, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game which ranks fourth in the Ivy League.

Up Next
Yale will hit the road to face Columbia on Jan.18, and return to Lee Amphitheater for two-straight home games against Dartmouth and Harvard on Jan. 20 and Jan. 25, respectively.