Yale at Brown
Saturday, Mar. 8 – 2 p.m.
Pizzitola Sports Center – Providence, R.I.
ESPN+ | Live Stats I Tickets | Game Notes
 
Yale men's basketball is set to hit the road for its regular season finale, facing Brown on Saturday, Mar. 8. The Bulldogs enter with a 19-7 record, 12-1 in Ivy action.
 
Last Time Out

• Bez Mbeng tallied his third triple double of the season, but the Bulldogs had the longest active winning streak snapped at 13 with a 74-69 defeat at Harvard.
• After a basket by John Poulakidas gave Yale an early 9-4 lead, Harvard responded with a 10-0 run to move ahead 14-9 at the 14:34 mark. 
•  From there, the Crimson stayed in control, shooting 53.6% overall (15-of-28) and 50% from beyond the arc (4-of-8) in the first half, taking a 38-27 lead into the break.
• A Poulakidas three followed by a Townsend layup brought Yale within two, 69-67, with 51 seconds left, but Harvard responded once again, hitting another three with 21 seconds to go to put the game out of reach for good.
• Mbeng paced the Bulldogs with a triple double of 20 points on 8-of-15 shooting with 11 rebounds and 11 assists.
• Nick Townsend notched 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting with seven rebounds and two steals.

 
Bulldog Notes

• Five Bulldogs are averaging at least 8.0 points per game, with Poulakidas leading the way with 18.9 points, which ranks first in the Ivy League.
• Poulakidas ranks 15^th in the NCAA in three throw percentage (89.6) and is second in the Ivy League in three-point percentage (40.0) and three-pointers per game (3.04).
• Mbeng ranks first in the nation with three triple doubles, and 21^st in assists per game (6.0). He also is first in the conference in assists (150) and steals (44).
• Townsend ranks first in the conference with six double doubles.
• As a team, the Bulldogs rank 10^th in the nation in assist/turnover ratio (1.65), 21^st in assists per game (17.0), ninth in field goal percentage (49.3), 10^th in rebound margin (8.1), 20^th in rebounds per game (39.58), 17^th in scoring offense (82.7), and 20^th in three point percentage  (38.3).
• Samson Aletan is first in the Ivy League in field goal percentage (.618), and Townsend is third in rebounds with 190, averaging 7.3 per game.

 
Season Notes

• Head Coach James Jones was tabbed a finalist for Ben Jobe and Jim Phelan Awards on Mar. 5. 
• Jones was named a Hugh Durham Award finalist on Mar. 4.
• Mbeng notched the fourth triple double in program history, and his third of the season, on Mar. 1.
• Mbeng earned USBWA Oscar Robertson National Player of the Week accolades on Feb. 25.
• The Bulldogs received votes in the AP Top 25 Men's Basketball Poll on Feb. 24.
• Mbeng was tabbed Ivy Player of the Week on Feb. 24.
• Mbeng recorded the third triple double in program history, and his second of the season, on Feb. 22.
• Yale clinched the outright Ivy League Regular Season title on Feb. 22.
• The Bulldogs clinched a share of the Ivy League Regular Season Title on Feb. 21.
• 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.
• 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.

 
Brown Rewind

• The two teams last met on Jan. 11 in New Haven, with Yale winning by a score of 79-58.
• After a back-and-forth first half, the Bulldogs pulled away in the second. Yale led by eight points through the first few minutes of the frame before Brown trimmed it down to three at the 10:37 mark.
• The Bulldogs then countered with a 21-4 run capped by four straight points from Nick Townsend to take a 20-point advantage with 2:55 to go. Yale didn't look back the rest of the way. 
• Four Bulldogs scored in double-figures with Townsend and Casey Simmons leading with 18 points apiece.
• The Bulldogs only had four turnovers, marking a season-low for the team. 

 
Scouting the Bears

• Brown enters with a 14-12 record, and are fifth in the Ivy League at 6-7.
• The Bears are coming off a 78-58 defeat to Dartmouth on Saturday.
• In the loss, Landon Lewis led all scorers with 22 points on 11-of-16 shooting to go along with seven rebounds. As a team, Brown shot 2-of-21 from deep.
• Kino Lilly Jr. paces the Bears on offense, averaging 17.4 points per game.
• If Brown beats Yale, Penn beats Princeton, and Dartmouth beats Harvard, the Bears clinch the four-seed at Ivy Madness.

 
Looking Ahead
The No. 1 seed Bulldogs will face either No. 4 Princeton or Brown (based on Saturday's results) in the semifinals of Ivy Madness on Saturday, Mar. 15. Tip is slated for 11 a.m. on ESPNU.