Ivy League does it again: Yale takes down Auburn
SPOKANE, WASH. >> A year ago, Yale’s John Poulakidas and August Mahoney were stuck at home watching the Ivy League champion make a magical NCAA Tournament run.
The two Bulldogs wanted a taste of what that was like. Given the opportunity on Friday, they helped Yale become the latest Ivy League champion to bust some March Madness brackets.
Poulakidas scored 28 points, Samson Aletan made a key block during a wild scramble in the final seconds, and 13th-seeded Yale rallied in the final five minutes to take down No. 4 seed Auburn 7876 in the first round on Friday.
For the second straight year, the Ivy League Tournament champion took down one of the pre-tournament favorites. Last year it was Princeton toppling Arizona.
This time, it was Yale’s turn. “Princeton made the Sweet 16 last year and we were at home, they beat us in the championship, and each and every one of the guys in the locker room were just itching to get our opportunity,” Mahoney said. “Our opportunity presented itself. We know how good we are, so we believed.”
The Bulldogs (23-9) won an NCAA Tournament game for the second time in school history, rallying from a 10-point deficit midway through the second half. After the final seconds ticked off, the players celebrated on the scorer’s table in front of their fans.
Yale will face No. 5 seed San Diego State in the second round on Sunday.
“It’s a great opportunity to be here. I think after I hit my first couple shots, obviously the flood gates opened,” Poulakidas said. “But I’m just so glad that we had this opportunity first and could capitalize on it tonight.”
Poulakidas hit big shot after big shot. His step-back 3-pointer with 2:10 left gave the Bulldogs a 73-72 lead. Yale never trailed again, despite a chaotic final stretch that included Auburn getting off two shots in the closing seconds following a missed free throw, one of which was rejected by Aletan.
Auburn’s K.D. Johnson had a contested look for a winning 3-pointer at the buzzer that was offline.
Johni Broome led Auburn (27-8) with 24 points and 13 rebounds, but he was crumpled on the court after the loss. It looked as if he might have injured his right knee in the final scrum. Auburn coach Bruce Pearl was uncertain when
League title last year.
The Pirates and Sharks previously met six times from 2018-19 in the NAL, with the Sharks holding the 5-1 series edge. Jacksonville won the last meeting, 5447 in overtime on July 20, 2019, but the team’s current roster remains cloaked in mystery.
“They’re an uncertainty, because they were in a different league last year,” said Miller. “The league they were in took all their films, so we can’t watch the way they played, but it’s a different game. We know they’ve got some good players. We’re anticipating they’ll try to do a lot of things that we’ve already seen. We just need to come out and have a good game.”
One thing the Pirates cannot afford is another slow start.
“It was good to get that big first win,” said Miller. “But we can’t come out as slow as we did that first game if we want to win. We have to come out fast all four quarters to come out with another victory.”
All eyes will be on Pirates quarterback Alejandro Bennifield. The 6-foot2, 225-pound signal-caller sparked a four-play, 45yard drive in the closing moments against Green Bay before finding Isaac Zico with a four-yard touchdown with 15 seconds remaining, giving Massachusetts its first lead, 42-40. The QB went 13-for-24 passing for 111 yards with three touchdowns and one interception. He also rushed six times for 26 yards and three scores.
“We don’t worry about last week,” said Bennifield. “We only worry about our next game. We’re just preparing for Jacksonville and will take it from there.”
Matt Elam is certainly looking forward to interacting with the home base. Last weekend, the 5-foot11, 210-pound defensive back intercepted Max Meylor’s 12-yard end zone pass to seal the victory. He recorded five tackles, including one for a loss, to go along with his game-ending pick.
The football veteran plans to keep the Tsongas buzzing with his heady play.
“I’m going to be the one turning the crowd up,” said Elam. “If I see you asleep, I might come and tap you on the head or throw the ball at you to see if you’re awake. We’re here to win a championship and nothing less. We’ve got a good team here and we’re going to keep you excited.”
Those unable to make the game can catch all the action on NESN. For the first time in franchise history,
NESN will carry live broadcasts of Pirates games this season.
“We look forward to having these boys do their thing on television, and showing everybody exactly who we are, what we’re made of, and the kind of talent that truly is here,” said Pirates owner and general manager Jawad Yatim. “These guys are serious athletes playing in your backyard. It’s a special group.”
And there is no better place to do it than Lowell.
“It’s been unbelievable,” said Yatim. “Everybody seems excited to have the team in the city and that’s what you want. You’re only as strong as your market and they have to work hand-in-hand with one another. We certainly feel that here with the local government and the businesses in the city. It’s been very receptive and a warm welcome. That just makes us want to play harder. It makes us want to represent the city that much more, and make sure we produce. We owe that to you.”