NEW YORK, N.Y. – Nick Townsend tallied a team-high 18 points, and the Yale men's basketball team shot 55% from the field to defeat Columbia, 60–54, on Saturday evening at Levien Gymnasium.
 
With the win, coupled with Penn's victory over Harvard, Yale secured at least a share of the Ivy League title for the second consecutive season. The Bulldogs also improved to 22–5 overall and 10–3 in Ivy League play.
 
Turning Point
After Columbia cut Yale's lead to three, 36–33, with 13:45 remaining in the second half, the Bulldogs responded with a decisive six-point run, highlighted by four points from Townsend, to push the margin to 42–33. The Lions battled back with five straight points, but Yale answered once again. Townsend's layup later stretched the lead to 53–44 before Columbia mounted another surge, scoring five unanswered to pull within four, 53–49, with 1:54 left. However, Townsend and Casey Simmons calmly converted key free throws in the closing seconds to seal the victory.
 

Notable Performances

• Townsend scored 18 points on 6-of-12 shooting, including 2-of-5 from beyond the arc, and went 4-of-6 at the free-throw line. He also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out four assists.
• Simmons delivered a strong outing with 16 points on 4-of-7 shooting and knocked down 7 of 8 free throws, adding three rebounds.
• Isaac Celiscar contributed nine points on 4-of-7 shooting, along with six rebounds and two assists.
• Jordan Brathwaite added eight points, shooting an efficient 4-of-5 from the field, while recording two rebounds and two assists.
• Riley Fox finished with seven points on 3-of-4 shooting.
• Yale shot 55% (22-of-40) in the game.
• The Bulldogs recorded 14 assists on their 22 made baskets.
• Yale tallied 34 points in the paint.

 
Hear from Coach Jones
"Winning the championship is really special, and we're fortunate to have won so many. We take them for granted at times, and I'm glad the guys got to go to the court and celebrate their hard work and effort. You know, this game was a grinder. We started out great. The guys had a great charge. We did a poor job of that last night, so our guys really stepped up and got us off in the right direction and helped us win the game."
 

Bulldog Notes

• Townsend has scored in double figures in 23 games this season.
• Simmons has reached double digits in seven consecutive games.
• Yale has secured its 11th Ivy League title in program history.
• The title marks the eighth Ivy League crown during the Jones era.
• The Bulldogs have posted 10 or more Ivy League wins for the seventh straight season.
• Yale has recorded 21 or more victories for the fourth consecutive year.

 

Up Next
The Bulldogs will host Princeton for Senior Day on Mar. 7. Tip-off is slated for 2 p.m.