Bulldogs' Defense Stifles Peacocks

JERSEY CITY, N.J. – Even though the Yale women's basketball team played short-handed against Saint Peter's on Tuesday night, the Bulldogs were able to finish their non-conference schedule on a high-note with a 53-45 victory over the Peacocks of the MAAC.

Playing with only 10 players in a competitive game, the Bulldogs (6-8, 0-0 Ivy) received big contributions from freshman guard Tamara Simpson (North Babylon, N.Y.), who scored a game-high 15 points, and junior guard Whitney Wyckoff (West Chester, Ohio), who scored a career-best 14.

Though the Elis were outrebounded 45-36 in the game, they made up the difference with their defensive pressure, causing a season-high 27 turnovers and recording 16 steals on the night. It is Yale's first win this season when being out-performed on the glass (previously 0-8).

Leading 44-42 with 2:48 remaining in the game, the Bulldogs were able to ice the game by going on a 9-3 run and making 7-of-12 free throws down the stretch, including a clutch jumper from the corner by sophomore forward Katie Werner (Phoenix, Ariz.) to extend the lead to five with 1:14 left.

Up until the 11:20 mark in the second half, Saint Peter's as a team had shot 44.4-percent (16-of-36) from the field, but were held without a field goal in the final 9:46 due to the fast-moving Bulldog defense. The Peacocks finished the game making 17-of-48 shots.

"We really tried to expose their unstable ball-handling by playing up, pressuring them, and jumping the screens," said Simpson after the game. "We wanted to make them frantic and cause them to make more mistakes."

Simpson was one of three Elis to record three steals on the night, joining junior guard Nyasha Sarju (Seattle, Wash.) and freshman forward Jen Berkowitz (Wayland, Mass.) with the distinction.

Scoring 13 of her 15 points in the second half, Simpson provided Yale with a badly-needed scoring punch in a low-scoring game. The freshman believes scoring, among other things, will be part of her duties in stepping up for the team in the wake of several injuries.

"We definitely need to get used to all of us stepping up as a unit. Not just one or two people, but everyone," said Simpson. "If we don't, we're not going to be successful in Ivy League play. Also, we need to come out with intensity at all times, not just in the second half."

"As one of three juniors playing right now, I feel we all have a responsibility to lead the team and play in the best way possible," said Wyckoff after her career night. The junior grabbed six rebounds to go with her 14 points.

The Bulldogs had a messy start to the game, shooting only 26.3-percent (5-of-19) as a team in the first 12 minutes, falling into an 18-11 hole. That is when Yale hit a scoring spurt.

Over the next four minutes, Yale would go on a 13-0 run to take a 24-18 lead, due in large part to a balanced scoring attack with Wyckoff, Werner, Sarju, and Simpson all included. Yale entered the half with a 26-23 lead.

Yale was strong once again on the offensive glass, grabbing 15 rebounds and translating them into 11 second-chance points. The Bulldogs also outscored the Peacocks in the paint, 30-22.

Werner scored 10 points and grabbed seven rebounds in the win, while Sarju scored 10 and grabbed three boards.

Antonia Smith scored a team-high 13 points and Talah Hughes grabbed a game-high eight rebounds for Saint Peter's.

Yale opens with Ivy League action on Friday when Brown comes to New Haven for a 7 p.m. tip. The Bulldogs have beaten the Bears in each of the past three meetings.

Filed by Steve Lewis, Yale Sports Publicity Assistant