Yale Comeback Falls Just Short
March 2, 2007
NEW HAVEN, Conn.--Yale rallied from as many as 19 points down, including a 14-point deficit with 7:43 remaining in the game, but ultimately, the comeback fell just short, as the Bulldogs (11-16, 4-9 Ivy) dropped a 57-55 decision to Penn (11-14, 6-6 Ivy) Friday night at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. Yale fell for the fifth straight time, and the eighth time in its last nine games.
The Bulldogs mounted a 20-point comeback to beat the Quakers on a last-second shot at home last season, and for a while it looked as if this year's contest would end the same way. After Chinenye Okafor drained two free throws to make it 57-55 Penn with 39 seconds left, Lauren Pears was called for a charge on the Quakers' ensuing possession. Yale took its last time out to set up a play, but Okafor missed a layup with one second remaining. She then fouled Maggie Burgess, who missed her second free throw intentionally to run the clock out.
Penn came out on fire, making 13 of its first 17 shots to build a 30-11 lead 12:11 into the contest. The Quakers maintained their comfortable advantage for the remainder of the half and led 38-22 at halftime. Penn shot 65.2 percent (15-of-23) from the field and outrebounded the Bulldogs 17-6 in the first half.
"The game was the first nine minutes," Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach Chris Gobrecht said. "After that, we played much better on defense, but the deficit was just too much to overcome."
Yale scored the first five points of the second half to cut the lead to 11 at 38-27, but the Quakers responded with a three-pointer by Carrie Biemer. Penn's lead remained at or around 14 for the next several minutes until the Bulldogs began their comeback on Okafor's traditional three-point play with 7:33 remaining. Yale ended the game on an 18-6 clip and held the Quakers without a field goal over the final 6:45. However, Penn went 4-for-6 from the free throw line during that span to seal the win.
Okafor tallied her sixth double-double of the season, and her first since Jan. 13, with 17 points and 10 rebounds. She added three steals. Erica Davis posted 16 points, six rebounds, two blocks and three steals. The Bulldogs shot 39.3 percent (24-of-61) from the field, but shot just 10 percent (1-of-10) from three-point range and 46.2 percent (6-of-13) from the free throw line. The Bulldogs ended up with a 33-32 rebounding advantage, including an 18-7 edge on the offensive glass.
Biemer led the Quakers with 12 points on a perfect 4-for-4 shooting. Joey Rhoads added 11 points and three steals. Pears had nine points and eight rebounds for the Quakers. Penn shot 50 percent (21-of-42) from the field and 37.5 percent (3-of-8) from three-point land. The Quakers made 75 percent (12-of-16) of their free throws.
The Bulldogs conclude the season tomorrow with a 7 p.m. contest against Princeton at the John J. Lee Amphitheater. Princeton defeated Brown, 52-46, on Friday night, and has won five straight over Yale. Seniors Davis and Okafor will be honored before the game.
NOTES: Penn swept the season series for the first time since 2003-04, and tied the all-time series at 31-31...Davis moved past all-time leading scorer Mary Kalich into fifth place on the all-time rebounding list with 664 career boards...With 426 points this season, Davis moved past Kalich into eighth place on Yale's single-season scoring list...Yale is three for its last 26 from three-point range...Harvard clinched the Ivy League title with a 64-48 victory over Cornell.
Report filed by Joe Clifford, Yale Sports Publicity
