The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Bulldogs advance to Ivy League title game
Yale holds off rival Harvard in semis, will face Princeton for championship
PHILADELPHIA » As preparation for his team’s Saturday game with Harvard in the inaugural Ivy League basketball tournament, James Jones watched film of Yale’s devastating loss to the Crimson at the Palestra two years earlier.
“For motivation,” said Jones, in his 18th season as Yale’s coach. “To take a look what we were doing and maybe help me coach a little harder.”
To their credit, Yale didn’t need much motivation or film study. It knew Harvard would run most of its offense through guard Bryce Aiken, the freshman guard who burned the Bulldogs for 27 and 22 points in Harvard’s regular-season sweep.
And though Aiken was all but unstoppable once again, scoring a game-high 28 points to lead a furious second-half comeback, Yale made the biggest defensive stop when it counted most.
Jordan Bruner intercepted a pass intended for Aiken in the corner, sealing Yale’s 73-71 semifinal victory at the Palestra. The Bulldogs will play for a second straight NCAA tournament berth when it meets Princeton, an overtime winner over Penn earlier Saturday, for the championship today at noon (ESPN2). Harvard (18-10) trailed 72-
69 with 13 seconds on the clock and possession when Siyani Chambers tried to sail a pass over the 6-foot-9 Bruner, who jumped and picked the ball out of midair. He was fouled with six seconds on the clock and made 1-of-2 free throws to seal the victory.
“I’m pretty sure everybody on the floor knew Bryce was getting the ball,” Bruner said. “He shot the ball like, the last seven possessions straight. If anybody else couldn’t have gotten that, they might want to think about what sport they play.”
Yale (18-10) led the game from start to finish, extending to a 13-point cushion in the opening minutes of the second half. Harvard whittled away at the deficit, relying heavily on Aiken, who in three games has already made a career of feasting on Yale defenders.
He scored 20 points in the second half, though his 18 shots from the floor and nine 3-point attempts represented nearly half of his team’s totals over the final 20 minutes.
The Bulldogs countered with a balanced offensive attack — freshman Miye Oni led four players in double-figures with 18 points — although they didn’t help themselves at the free-throw line. They were 9-of-18 in the second half, which helped keep Harvard in the game.
But Yale’s team effort wasn’t limited to offense; it extended into its attempt to contain Aiken.
“We went to a 1-3-1 to switch it up and give him a different look. They use him a lot and wanted to get it to him. We have talented players on this team, but we don’t use them the same way. We play together instead of playing that way.”
Yale made a concerted effort to get senior forward Sam Downey the ball in the low blocks. He connected on all five of his attempts from the floor in the second half to finish with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
It was redemption, Jones said, for an unheralded player overlooked by the rest of the league. Downey was only an honorable mention All-Ivy pick despite shooting 61.8 percent from the field in league games and tying for second in rebounds.
Jones took a moment to let everyone know he felt Downey was shortchanged.
“Let me talk about a bug in my craw with my squad,” Jones said. “I always think we get less recognition than we should. We had one player second-team All-Ivy and one player make honorable mention. Sam is a senior and has played tremendously well this season. The way it worked out, he was the last guy picked as honorable mention. I don’t know what guys are thinking.”
Asked for his opinion on Jones’ statement, Downey kept the focus on the team.
“I care a lot more about winning basketball games,” Downey said. “We’re playing tomorrow, and that means a lot more.”
Yale will have its hands full against Princeton, which went undefeated in league play before staving off Penn on Saturday despite a raucous crowd in the Quakers’ home arena. The Tigers beat Yale 66-58 in Princeton, New Jersey in January before an easy 71-52 victory last month in New Haven.
But these Bulldogs, once again, are playing some of their best basketball in March. They came through when it mattered last season to end a 54-year NCAA tournament drought. And since a five-game losing streak late last month, they’ve now won four straight.
Jones wasn’t quite ready to turn his thoughts to Princeton in the moments after Saturday’s game.
“I just hope we play well,” Jones said.
Maybe a late-night film session will do the trick. Or maybe it’s pointless. At this stage of the season, Yale knows exactly what it takes to win.