Jan. 13, 2006

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THE MATCHUP

The Bulldogs host the Bears to open up the Ivy League portion of the schedule for both squads. Yale is hoping that the start of conference play will turn things around after a tough non-conference slate. The game is the second of a brief two-game homestand for the Bulldogs and is their third in the last four games. The only other stretch this season where Yale will be in Lee Amphitheater as much is a four-game homestand in February.

SERIES HISTORY

Yale and Brown have met 60 times in their respective histories, with the Bears holding a 38-22 edge in the series. Brown swept the season series last year with a 65-38 win in New Haven and a 72-56 win in Providence. Overall Brown has won seven consecutive dating back to a 79-60 Yale win on Jan. 19, 2002.

THE LAST TIME OUT

Yale lost a tough 59-53 decision in its final non-conference game of the season against Fordham on Tuesday. Freshman Jamie Van Horne continued her hot play, hitting on all five of her attempts from downtown for a team-high 15 points off the bench. Junior captain Chinenye Okafor continued her strong play, scoring 12 points as part of a perfect night (8 of 8) from the charity stripe. She also picked up a team-high seven rebounds. Brown dropped its last contest to Marist 67-46 on Tuesday.

SCOUTING THE BEARS

Brown, like Yale, is opening up the Ivy portion of the schedule with tonights contest. The Bears are led by the senior backcourt duo of Sarah Hayes and Colleen Kelly. Hayes leads the team and is third in the Ivy League in scoring (15.4 ppg.), with Kelly (12.1 ppg.) right behind her. Hayes also serves as the teams leading rebounder (6.2) while Kelly is the main three-point threat (25 of 55, .455). They are the only two players to start every game for Brown. Ashley King-Bischof is the third option for Brown (9.3 ppg.) splitting time between the guard and forward positions.

UP NEXT

Yale and Brown won't wait long for a re-match as the teams finish off the second leg of a home-and-home set on Jan. 20 to start a three-game road swing. The back end of the trip is a trip deep into New England with games at Harvard (Jan. 27) and at Dartmouth (Jan. 28).

VAN HORNE HEATING UP

Freshman Jamie Van Horne has been on fire over the past three games, especially from three-point land. She has hit on 13 of her last 19 attempts (.684) to move into a tie for the Ivy League lead. She scored a career-high 17 against Lehigh thanks to canning five treys. She had nine points at Quinnipiac and followed that effort up with 15 points, on a perfect 5 of 5 night beyond the arc, against Fordham.

OKAFOR BACK ON TRACK

After battling some early season struggles, junior captain Chinenye Okafor has returned to form to average 11.7 points over her last three contests. She was averaging just 6.9 points over the team's first ten contests. She has also stepped up her rebounding performance, pulling down 5.7 boards over the stretch, compared to just 3.9 during the first 10 games.

NOTHING BUT A BLOCK PARTY

Julie Mantilla tied a school record with five blocked shots at Quinnipiac on Jan. 4. It is the third time in her career she has swatted five shots, and the second time against Quinnipiac. Teammate Erica Davis also shares the record, accomplishing the feat twice. Sarah Jacobson `93 and Megan Connick `81 also hold a piece of the record. For the season Mantilla is second in the Ivy League, averaging 1.31 blocks per game.

Chris Gobrecht, JOEL E. SMILOW, CLASS OF 1954 HEAD COACH OF WOMEN'S BASKETBALL

Chris Gobrecht, a 25-year Division I coaching veteran and a two-time Pacific-10 Conference Coach of the Year, takes the reins for her first season at Yale. Gobrecht is the ninth coach in the 31-year history of Yale women's basketball, and enters the Ivy League with more career victories than any other active coach in women's or men's basketball with 425.

GOBRECHT PICKS UP FIRST YALE WIN

With a 66-61 win over Lehigh, Chris Gobrecht picked up her first career victory at Yale, snapping a ten-game losing streak by the Bulldogs.

COMMON OPPONENTS

Yale and Brown share three common opponets in Fairfield, Lehigh and Boston Univeristy. Yale defeated Lehigh while falling to both Fairfield and B.U. while Brown defeated Fairfield and lost to Lehigh and B.U.

LILLEMOE NAMED TO ALL-TOURNAMENT TEAM

Freshman guard Kaitlyn Lillemoe has been impressive through the first 13games of her Bulldog career, and was named to the Coca-Cola St. Louis Billiken Classic All-Tournament team. During the two games she averaged 12.5 points, including a 16 point effort in the Bulldogs narrow loss to the Privateers. She was also clutch in the effort, hitting a key three pointer and picking up a block in the final minutes. She had an impressive Yale debut, scoring a team-high 19 points. On two occasions the freshman buried three-pointers as the shot clock expired as part of her .615 night. She finished 8-13 from the floor and 3-4 from three-point land. She chipped in four rebounds and a pair of assists as well.

NEW KIDS ON THE BLOCK

Yale welcomes four fresh faces into the fold for 2005-06. Jenny Burke, Ashley Easley, Emily St. Jean and Jamie Van Horne will all look to contribute during their first seasons in the blue and white at either guard position. The four will bolster a backcourt corps that lost its top two scorers to graduation.

EMMERLING SETS NEW CAREER HIGH

Junior Kaitlin Emmerling set a new career high in points. twice this season On the strength of 4-5 shooting from beyond the arc, Emmerling set a new career mark with 17 against Providence on Nov. 21.. Her previous mark came in the season opener against New Hampshire when she scored 13.

WELCOME BACK

After not playing in 2004-05, senior Cassandra Harris has re-joined the team for the 05-06 campaign. In 2003-04 Harris played in every game, averaging 11.4 minutes, 2.5 points and 2.5 rebounds. Her return makes her the lone senior on the squad.

ON THE ROAD AGAIN

The Bulldogs will play only 11 home games in 2005-06, starting opening night when New Hampshire visits New Haven. The game is one of only three non-conference home games the Elis have. The Fairfield Stags play Yale on Dec. 3, and Lehigh comes to town on Jan. 2 rounding out the Bulldogs non-League home slate.

HOME AN UNFAMALIAR PLACE

Yale has played just four games at the John J. Lee Amphitheater this season. Yale is 1-3 at home. On the season the Bulldogs will play just 11 games at home out of 27 contests.

FREQUENT FLYER MILES

Yale's non-League road trips this year ranged from as close as Hamden, Conn. (12 miles) to St. Louis, Mo. (1056 miles) and virtually every distance in between. Among their closer road trips, the Bulldogs traveled to nutmeg state rivals Quinnipiac (Hamden.) and Sacred Heart (Fairfield). The longest trip of the season knocked two games off the schedule when Yale played in the St. Louis Billiken Classic against hosts St. Louis and New Orleans. The Bulldogs also participated in the Virginia Cavalier Classic, taking on hosts Virginia and Boston University in December.