The Eli Remains Undefeated in the Ivy League With 76 – 62 Victory Over the Quakers
PHILADELPHIA, PA. 2/16/ 2024 –
Yale finished the first half of the Ivy schedule unbeaten. The University of Pennsylvania had one win in the Ancient Eight. Time to see where the Quakers stand against the top of the Ivies. Penn started well, but Yale got their shots to fall while the Red and Blue did not. The result was a 76 – 62 Bulldogs victory in a game that was not as close as the final score indicated. The reason? Better shooting and better defense by the visitors.
“I thought their ability to play through the clock, not settle, and really get good looks pretty much most of the night. I thought that was the difference,” said Penn Coach Steve Donahue. “We didn’t turn it over. Just didn’t have the poise and confidence to play through the clock that you have to do against a team like Yale.”
The Critical Run
Each team began with cold shooting. With the game tied at 5 at the first media timeout, Penn got it going behind an 8-point run. That lead would last only a minute as Yale scored the next 9 points. The Eli took a 23 – 22 lead at the 8:20 mark on a three-pointer by guard John Poulakdias. The gap would stretch to 15 points at halftime as Penn managed to score only 8 more points.
Penn Could Not Mount a Serious Second Half Charge
The Quakers cut the deficit to 47 – 36 early in the latter twenty minutes on back to back three-pointers by guard George Smith. Yale stretched their lead back to 21 points on three different occasions. Penn got most of their offense from behind the arc. Eight of their twelve second half baskets were three-pointers. Penn made 12 of 31 (38.7%) for the half.
“They really protect the lane and the rim,” Donahue said. “I think some of the shots were wide open. We just didn’t have the poise to make them. I don’t think there’s a concerted effort to shoot three’s. I thought we did a decent job of getting downhill and making the right decision. I thought we settled for shots. That has something to do with our inexperience at times.”
What the Numbers Say
While the Quakers shooting percentage was limited, the Bulldogs offense was not. Yale made 27 of 51 (52.9%) and 6 of 18 from deep. The Bulldogs second half percentage was better by 50% to 57%. The Eli took 33 shots from inside the arc and made 21 for a 38 – 24 points in the paint advantage.
Forward Danny Wolf recorded a double-double with 14 points and a game high 10 rebounds. Poulakidas scored a game-best 17 points. Guard Bez Mbeng had 16 points and 6 assists. Guard August Mahoney scored 11 points to round out the double-digit scorers for the Eli. He was efficient making 4 of 4 from the floor and drained all 3 three-pointers.
Penn had thee players in double-digits led by guard Clark Slajchert who had 12 points. Guards Tyler Perkins and Sam Brown each posted 11 points, mostly in the first half. Forward Nick Spinoso led Penn with 6 assists.
Up Next
An Ivy Weekend. Yale (17 – 6, 8 – 0) plays at Princeton. Yale retains the top-spot a game ahead of second place Cornell and two in front of Princeton.
Penn (9 – 14, 1 – 7) hosts Brown. The Red and Blue remain tied for last place with Dartmouth. Brown is a game in front of them at 2 – 6, so a win is critical to move up in the standings. There are four berths available in Ivy Madness, and Penn is three games behind fourth place Columbia.
“Twenty two hours of prep, mental, physical recovery, and then get ready for another hard game,” Donahue said about the quick turn around. “We’ve got to figure out how to win this next game.”
Written BY: Glenn Papazian
Contact: Glenn@PhillyCollegeSports.com
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