Jan. 12, 2007

GAME INFO:
Brown (2-12, 0-0 Ivy) at Yale (7-7, 0-0 Ivy)
Saturday, Jan. 13, 2007-2 p.m.
John J. Lee Amphitheater-New Haven, Conn.

TV: None
Radio/Internet: WYBC (1340 AM), wybc.com: Anthony Brooks and Jordan Malter

TODAY'S GAME
Yale kicks off the Ivy League season by hosting Brown. The Bulldogs finished non-conference play with a 7-7 record and on a five-game winning streak. Brown has lost five straight and enters the Ivy League opener with a 2-12 overall mark. For the fifth straight season, the Bulldogs open the conference season by hosting the Bears. Yale is looking to win its sixth straight for the first time since posting a school-record eight-game winning streak from Feb. 9-March 2, 1980.

SERIES HISTORY
Yale and Brown have met at least once a season since 1973-74, the first year of varsity women's basketball at each school. This is the 63rd meeting between the schools, putting Brown into a tie with Princeton as Yale's most common opponent. The Bears lead the all-time series 40-22 and have won nine straight against the Bulldogs. Yale's last victory over Brown was a 79-60 triumph in New Haven on Jan. 19, 2002.

LAST TIME OUT
The Bulldogs extended their winning streak to five with a 70-60 victory over Massachusetts last Saturday. Erica Davis led the Yale attack with 25 points and 13 rebounds. Davis made a layup to start the game and Yale never looked back. The Bulldogs never trailed in the contest. Back-to-back three-pointers by Stephanie Marciano and Brittani Nichols opened up a tight game and gave Yale a 21-11 advantage. Yale held a 34-24 edge at halftime. After the Yale lead reached 13 at 43-30, the Minutewomen went on a 16-5 run to cut it to two, 48-46. The Bulldogs responded with a 16-2 run of their own to bring the lead to a game-high 16 points, 64-48. Massachusetts was unable to pull any closer than nine the rest of the way. Marciano tallied 11 points and Chinenye Okafor added nine points, 12 rebounds and a season-high five steals. Melissa Colborne notched nine points and a career-high five assists.

BULLDOG BYTES
Yale was the only school in the Ivy League with a .500 record in non-conference play. The Bulldogs lead the conference in scoring margin (+0.0), rebounding (39.4 rpg) and rebounding margin (+5.9). Yale boasts the top two rebounders in the League, senior forward Chinenye Okafor (9.3 rpg) and senior center Erica Davis (9.2 rpg). Davis leads the conference in field goal percentage (.525) and blocks (2.0 bpg), while Okafor ranks third in steals (2.21 spg). Davis is fifth in the Ivy League with a team-leading 15.6 ppg. Okafor averages 11.5 ppg, and freshman guard Melissa Colborne posts 11.9 points a contest. Colborne ranks fourth in the League with a free throw percentage of .816 (62-of-76). Junior point guard Stephanie Marciano is the only Bulldog to start all 14 games this season and has started the last 29 consecutive contests. She leads the team and ranks second in the conference with 4.36 assists per game.

BEAR CLAWS
Brown tied Dartmouth and Princeton for the Ivy League title last season, but struggled in non-conference play this year. The Bears have lost five straight. Senior guard/forward Ashley King-Bischof has won Ivy League Player of the Week honors twice this season. She is the only Bear averaging double-figures in scoring (13.6 ppg). King-Bischof also leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game. Junior guard Annesley O'Neal posts 8.4 points per game and leads the Bears with 3.4 assists a contest. Senior guard Lena McAfee averages 7.6 points and 5.4 rebounds per game.

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