Navy Visits Yale In Final Home Game Of 2005

Dec. 19, 2005

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vs. NAVY
Tue., Dec. 20, 2005 - 7 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater
New Haven, Conn.

YALE TALE

The Bulldogs (4-4) play their final non-league home game against Navy. Yale's next game in the friendly confines of the John J. Lee Amphitheater will be the Ivy League opener against Brown on Jan. 14. The Bulldogs are coming off their most impressive victory of the season, a 19-point thrashing of Hampton on Sunday. Yale's first three wins had come by a combined nine points. Sunday's victory also marked the return of senior Dominick Martin, who became eligible when the first semester ended on Saturday. Despite not practicing with the team prior to Sunday, Martin, Yale's leading returning scorer and rebounder, made 7 of 11 shots from the field in 18 minutes off the bench. He finished with 14 points and five rebounds. Martin's addition adds experience to an already deep roster. The Bulldogs have 10 players averaging at least 12.8 minutes and eight players averaging at least 5.6 points. Sophomore Eric Flato broke out of a shooting slump on Sunday against Hampton. Flato made 7 of 10 shots from the field, including 5 of 6 three-pointers. In Yale's previous two games, Flato made only four of 16 shots. The Bulldogs are in the middle of a three games in five days stretch. They play at Providence on Thursday at the Dunkin Donuts Center.

HISTORY LESSON

Yale and Navy meet for the first time since 1988, an 80-75 Midshipmen victory. The Bulldogs haven't beaten Navy since an 86-85 win on Dec. 17, 1955. The Midshipmen have won four straight in the series and lead all-time 13-5.

SCOUTING NAVY

The Midshipmen (3-4) have won three straight games, including a 106-80 victory over Division III Washington College on Sunday. One of Navy's losses came at Penn, 86-73 on Dec. 2. Corey Johnson, who has missed the last four games, leads the team in scoring (14.7 ppg.). Navy has 10 players who average at least 12.1 minutes. Kaleo Kina, who scored 18 points against Washington, and Greg Sprink both average 9.9 points. Matt Fannin leads the team in rebounding (6.4 rpg.).

YALE 71, HAMPTON 52

Eric Flato scored a career-high 20 points and Dominick Martin added 14 points and five rebounds in his first game of the season as Yale cruised to a victory over Hampton in a non-league game at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. The Bulldogs shot 53.1 percent from the field, while holding the Pirates to 31 percent. Yale also benefited from the return of Martin, who became eligible when the first semester ended on Saturday. Martin made 7 of 11 shots from the field in 18 minutes off the bench. Sophomore Matt Kyle, who has been starting at center in Martin's absence, had nine points and seven rebounds, both career highs, in 20 minutes. Rodrick Coleman led Hampton (1-5) with 16 points. Bruce Brown, the preseason player of the year in the MEAC, was held to eight points and five rebounds. Hampton made only four of 26 three-pointers in the game. The Pirates scored the first point of the game on a Jeff Granger free throw, but it was their only lead of the game. Despite missing their first six shots, the Bulldogs took a 17-5 lead midway through the first half. The lead grew to 15, 29-14, on a Flato three-pointer with 5:07 left, but Hampton closed the first half with a 6-0 run to pull within 33-25 at the intermission. The Pirates scored the first basket of the second half, but the Bulldogs answered with nine straight points to take command. A Chris Andrews jumper with 9:10 left gave Yale a 53-33 lead.

PRESEASON PREDICTIONS

A young Yale team that features only two seniors on the roster has been picked to finish fifth in the Ivy League preseason media poll released Tuesday. The Bulldogs earned 67 points, only three behind fourth-place Cornell. Defending champion Penn is picked to repeat, receiving all 16 first-place votes from the representatives of the Ivy League media. Harvard was second with 96 points followed by Princeton (83). Brown (57 points) was sixth, followed by Dartmouth (41) and Columbia (34).

2005-06 Ivy League Preseason Media Poll
1. Penn, 128 points (16 first-place votes)
2. Harvard, 96
3. Princeton, 83
4. Cornell, 70
5. Yale, 67
6. Brown, 57
7. Dartmouth 41
8. Columbia, 34

SEEING DOUBLE

Sophomores Caleb and Nick Holmes are the first set of twins in the 109-year history of Yale basketball. The Holmes are one of two brother combinations on the roster. Freshman Ari Greenberg joins his older brother Josh, a senior, this year.

FINAL THOUGHTS

Yale will be featured on ESPN's Pride of the Program on Mar. 28. ESPN is celebrating an historic moment from each of the 326 Division I programs in alphabetical order. Yale's moment is the home sweep of Penn and Princeton on Feb. 8-9, 2001, that propelled the Bulldogs to a share of the Ivy League title and a berth in the NIT... James Jones' younger brother Joe is the head coach at Columbia. The Jones brothers are one of three active brother duos coaching at the Division I level. Dickey and Dennis Nutt are the head coaches at Arkansas State and Southwest Texas State while Bill and Tom Herrion coach at New Hampshire and the College of Charleston... The Yale-Harvard game at the John J. Lee Amphitheater on Jan. 27 at 7 p.m. will be televised on the YES Network. The Bulldogs' other televised games are at Kansas (Jayhawk TV), at Princeton (Patriot), at Penn (Cn8) and home vs. Princeton (Cn8).

Report filed by Tim Bennett, Yale Sports Publicity