NEW HAVEN, Conn. – The Yale women's basketball team came through with a win on Senior Day Saturday at Lee Amphitheater. Forward
Kiley Capstraw, the Bulldogs' captain and the lone senior on the team, had a double-double – as did junior forward
Mary Meng – in Yale's 57-45 win over Cornell.
Yale limited Cornell to .273 (3-for-11) shooting in the first quarter, grabbing an early 14-9 lead.
The Bulldogs' lead was down to one, 18-17, midway through the second when the Bulldogs reeled off six straight points on baskets from junior forward
Luisa Vydrova, sophomore guard
Ciniya Moore and sophomore guard
Ke'iara Odume. They eventually went into halftime up 26-23.
After Cornell got back within one at 26-25 25 seconds into the third quarter, the Bulldogs again went on a run, reeling off 12 straight points – including six from Meng. Yale led 41-30 heading into the fourth quarter.
Cornell was within three, 46-43, and had a chance to get within one when Meng rejected a Big Red shot with 4:10 to play. That was her fifth block of the game, and it helped ignite an 11-2 run that closed out the win.
Capstraw sank two free throws with 31 seconds left and subbed out to a standing ovation. She finished with 15 points and 10 rebounds. Meng had 12 points and 11 rebounds.
Yale improves to 7-19 (3-10 Ivy League) while Cornell falls to 8-18 (3-10 Ivy League).
STATISTICAL LEADERS
- Senior forward Kiley Capstraw led Yale in points with 15.
- Junior forward Mary Meng led Yale in rebounds with 11 and blocks with six.
- Junior forward Luisa Vydrova led Yale in assists with four.
KEY STAT
- Yale had a 30-18 advantage in points in the paint.
NOTES
- This was Capstraw's second double-double. She had 11 points and 10 rebounds at High Point Dec. 20.
- This was Meng's second double-double. She had 10 points and 14 rebounds against Dartmouth Feb. 14.
- Meng's six blocks tied for the most in a game by a Bulldog this season. First-year forward Dorka Kastl had six blocks against Bryant Dec. 3.
- The Bulldogs went until the 1:54 mark of the third quarter before they got their first free throws (Moore sank both her attempts). By the end of the game Yale had made 12 of 16 free throw attempts.
QUOTING DALILA ESHE, YALE'S JOEL E. SMILOW, CLASS OF 1954 HEAD COACH OF WOMEN'S BASKETBALL
- On how gratifying it was to win Kiley Capstraw's final home game: "It was the combination of the win and the fact that she played a really good game. It was fitting. We played a full 40 minutes."
- On the team responding every time Cornell cut into the lead: "Our team's resilience has gotten a lot better lately. They have figured out their 'spiral action plan'. They know what they need to focus on [when the opponent makes a run]."
- On Mary Meng getting another double-double: "She's relaxed. She's realized that there's not a lot of people that can contest her when she gets the ball high. It's been fun to watch the offensive part of her game come along. She has been impacting us defensively and rebounding-wise all along."
AROUND THE IVY LEAGUE
- Columbia 59, Brown 56
- Penn 89, Dartmouth 66
- No. 25 Princeton at Harvard, late
UP NEXT
- Yale visits No. 25 Princeton next Saturday at 2:00 p.m. in the season finale.
