NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Four Bulldogs tallied double figures as the Yale men's basketball team completed a perfect weekend at home, taking down Columbia, 91–74, on Monday afternoon at John J. Lee Amphitheater.
With the victory, the Bulldogs improved to 14-3 (3-1 Ivy), and the Lions dropped to 12-6 (1-3 Ivy).
Turning Point
After Columbia briefly moved in front 14-13 with 12:01 remaining in the first half, Yale responded with nine consecutive points, all from beyond the arc, to take a 22-14 advantage. The Bulldogs stayed in control the rest of the half and carried a 44-35 lead into the break. Yale's hot shooting continued after halftime, tallying a 9-0 run highlighted by four points from
Samson Aletan to push the margin to 18, 57-39, at the 15:34 mark. The Bulldogs stretched their lead to a game-high 21, 84-63, with 4:14 left and shot 56.7% from the field (17-of-30) and 60% from three-point range (6-of-10) in the second half to secure the victory.
Notable Performances
- Nick Townsend delivered a strong performance, leading the team with 25 points on 6-of-12 shooting. He went 4-of-6 from three and 9-of-10 at the free throw line, while also posting team-high eight rebounds and adding three assists and two steals.
- Aletan scored 18 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting, went 2-of-2 from the free throw line, and contributed seven rebounds, two assists, one steal, and one block.
- Casey Simmons added 12 points on 5-of-7 shooting.
- Riley Fox chipped in 10 points, went a perfect 4-of-4 from the free throw line, and grabbed four rebounds.
- Isaac Celiscar finished with eight points, five rebounds, and six assists.
- Jordan Brathwaite and Devon Arlington each scored five points. Arlington also recorded five assists and a steal.
- Yale totaled 20 assists on 31 made field goals.
- The Bulldogs shot 50.8% from the field (31-of-61) and 50% from three-point range (12-of-24).
Hear from Coach Jones
"I thought it was a really good game at home for us. We shot the ball well from the arc, which is really great for us to get an opportunity to win. We got contributions from everybody who participated in this game, which is really good to see."
Bulldog Notes
- Townsend has scored in double digits for eight consecutive games and has posted 20 or more points in five contests this season.
- Fox has reached double figures in 12 games this season.
- Townsend set a season high with nine made free throws.
- Aletan has posted double-digit points in eight games and grabbed six or more rebounds in seven consecutive contests.
- The Bulldogs have hit 12 three-pointers in back-to-back games.
- Yale's bench contributed 25 points.
- The Bulldogs have won two straight games.
- Yale has claimed victory in the last six meetings against Columbia.
- The Bulldogs moved back into first in the nation in three-point percentage (41.4).
Up Next
The Bulldogs will hit the road for an ESPNU-televised clash at Penn on Saturday, Jan. 24. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.
