Cornell at Yale
Friday, Feb. 21 – 7 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes
 
Columbia at Yale
Saturday, Feb. 22 – 7 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
ESPN+ | Live Stats | Tickets | Game Notes
 
Yale men's basketball is set for its last two home games of the season, facing Cornell on Friday, Feb. 21, and then Columbia for Senior Night on Saturday, Feb. 22. The Bulldogs are riding a 10-game winning streak and enter with a 16-6 record (9-0 Ivy).

With two wins or one win and a Dartmouth loss, the Bulldogs can clinch at least a share of the Ivy League regular season title.

Prior to Saturday's game, Yale will honor seniors Bez Mbeng, Jack Molloy, John Poulakidas, and captain Teo Rice for their contributions to the program.
 
Last Time Out

• Four Bulldogs tallied double figures as Yale continued its winning ways with a dominant 84-57 victory over Princeton on Saturday. With the win, the Bulldogs clinched a spot in Ivy Madness, which will take place in Providence (Mar. 14-16).
• After the Tigers trimmed the Yale lead to six (24-18) with 2:54 to go in the first half, Nick Townsend notched eight straight points highlighted by back-to-back threes to extend the advantage to 32-18.
• The Bulldogs never looked back, dominating in the second half, shooting 64.5% overall (20-of-31), 50% (5-of-10) from deep, and led by as many as 34 (80-46) in the game.
• Townsend had a stellar night with a team-high 20 points, shooting 7-of-9 from the field, 2-of-3 from deep, and adding seven rebounds and four assists.
• Bez Mbeng notched 17 points on 7-of-8 shooting with three assists and a team-high two steals.
• John Poulakidas added 11 points, eight rebounds, and two assists.
• Isaac Celiscar tallied 10 points on 3-of-4 shooting, was a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, and had seven rebounds.

• Princeton shot just 26.8% overall (15-of-56) and 22.9% (8-of-35) from deep.
• Yale improved to 9-0 at home.
• The Bulldogs continued its dominance in conference play with a program-best 9-0 record in Ivy action.

 
Bulldog Notes

• Five Bulldogs are averaging at least 8.0 points per game, with Poulakidas leading the way with 19.4 points, ranks first in the Ivy League.
• Poulakidas is also ranked 20^th in the nation in free throw percentage (89.7), 18^th in three-point percentage (42.8), and 10^th in three pointers per game (3.26).
• As a team, the Bulldogs rank 18^th in the NCAA in assist/turnover ratio (1.59), 16^th in assists per game (17.1), fifth in field goal percentage (49.8), ninth in rebound margin (8.7), 25^th in rebounds per game (39.55), and 17^th in scoring offense (83.0).
• Townsend ranks fourth in the conference, averaging 6.9 rebounds per game.
• Samson Aletan ranks first in the Ivy League in field goal percentage (.595), and Mbeng leads in assists (5.5 per game).

 
Season Notes

• Isaac Celiscar garnered Ivy Rookie of the Week accolades on Feb. 17.
• Poulakidas earned Ivy Player of the Week honors on Feb. 10.
• Mbeng tallied the program's second triple double against Cornell on Feb. 8.
• Poulakidas was tabbed Ivy Co-Player of the Week on Feb. 3.
• Mbeng scored his 1,000th career point against Harvard on Jan. 25.
• Mbeng became the all-time program leader in career steals on Jan. 20.
• Riley Fox earned Ivy Rookie of the Week honors on Jan. 6.
• 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.

 
Cornell Rewind

• The two teams last met on Feb. 8 in Ithaca, with Yale winning 103-88.
• In the victory, Mbeng tallied a triple double, and Poulakidas and Townsend had career days.
• Mbeng notched 15 points, a career-high 12 assists and 10 rebounds, recording the second triple double in program history.
• Yale was strong in the second half, shooting 66.7% (20-of-30), led by as many as 22 points (92-70) with 6:11 to go, and didn't look back.
• Poulakidas had a career-high 32 points on 12-of-18 shooting and was 6-of-10 from deep.
• Townsend notched a career-high 25 points on 11-of-13 shooting with six rebounds and five assists.
• Yale's 103 points marked the first time since 2019 that the Bulldogs surpassed 100+ points against a DI opponent.

 
Scouting the Big Red

• Cornell enters with a 13-9 record (5-4 Ivy).
• The Big Red has lost three straight games.
• Cornell is coming off an 88-49 loss to Dartmouth on Saturday, Feb. 15.
• The Big Red is averaging 83.2 points per game.
• Nazir Williams paces the offense, averaging 14.5 points per game.

 
Columbia Rewind

• The two teams last met on Jan. 18, with Yale winning 92-88.
• After a back-and-forth first half, Yale's offense took off with eight minutes to go. After Columbia extended its advantage to 67-62, the Bulldogs went on a 6-0 run, highlighted by four points from Townsend.
• The Lions countered with a three in the final seconds of play to trim the deficit back down to two, but free throws by Mbeng put the game out of reach for good.
• Poulakidas paced the Bulldogs with 29 points, shooting 8-of-17 from the field and 6-of-12 from deep. He also recorded 17 of his points in the first half.
• The Bulldogs outrebounded Columbia, 46-29.

 
Scouting the Lions

• Columbia enters with a 12-10 record (1-8 Ivy).
• The Lions are coming off an 87-75 loss to Harvard on Saturday, Feb. 15.
• Columbia is averaging 79.8 points per game.
• Geronimo Rubio De La Rosa paces the Lions' offense, averaging 18.0 points per game, which ranks third in the conference.

 
Looking Ahead
The Bulldogs will hit the road to face Dartmouth on Friday, Feb. 28 and Harvard on Saturday, Mar 1.