Gamecenter: Yale 61, Stanford 72

Posted on by Jake Wilson in Gamecenter, Ivy League, Yale
1st 2nd Final
Yale (1-2) 26 35 61
Stanford (5-1) 36 36 72
Maples Pavilion – Palo Alto, CA Boxscore
Keys to the Game
Key sequence Matt Kyle fed Ross Morin for a dunk that brought Yale just five points back with 5:29 to play. At the other end, Alex Zampier appears to cleanly pick Robin Lopez’s pocket from behind and was headed the other way for an uncontested layup and a one-possession game, but instead Zampier was victimized by a very questionable foul call. Lopez knocked down both free throws for a four-point swing, then swatted Morin’s layup attempt after a textbook give-and-go by Yale at the other end. Perhaps intimidated by that block, Morin missed a layup he normally would have converted, then watched Lawrence Hill drill a dagger three-pointer to put the Cardinal up 64-54 with just 4:20 to play.
Key sign it was over The Bulldogs drew within seven twice in the final four minutes, but each time the hosts had an answer. After Yale couldn’t knock down any of three field goal attempts in a 26-second span, Mitch Johnson pushed the margin to 11 with a free throw. Johnson missed the second, but Lopez grabbed the rebound of his second shot and added two more free throws to make it 72-59 with 1:19 left. Eric Flato’s layup wouldn’t drop, and the Cardinal ran the clock well under a minute left, sealing Yae’s fate.
Key performance Lopez proved to be an unstoppable force in the middle for Stanford. He scored 24 points on 8-for-11 shooting, grabbed 12 rebounds — including six at the offensive end — and blocked five Yale shots. He also got Kyle in immediate foul trouble, limiting the Bulldogs’ leading scorer to just 17 ineffective minutes.
Key statistic The Bulldogs held their own with the stronger and more athletic Cardinal, but they were done in by a huge free throw disparity. Stanford attempted 29 free throws to Yale’s seven, and outscored the Bulldogs 21-6 from the stripe.
Notes

– In his homecoming, Flato had a very nice offensive game, putting up a team-best 22 points on 5-for-10 shooting from three, and also came up with three steals defensively. Morin (13 points) was the only other Yale player in double figures scoring.

– Hill had a big scoring night for Stanford, leading all scorers with 25 points.

– The Bulldogs actually had fewer turnovers (13) than the Cardinal (19), with a 21-9 edge in points off turnovers to show for it.

– Yale shot 9 of 19 (47.4 percent) from three, but seemed fearful of Lopez inside, connecting on just 14 of 37 (37.8 percent) of its two-point attempts on the night.

– The Bulldogs will celebrate Thanksgiving in California, with their tough road trip taking them to historic Pauley Pavilion to face top-ranked UCLA on Friday, November 23, at 10:30 pm ET.

Jake Wilson

Publisher and Editor-in-Chief, Basketball U.

Jake Wilson wrote 754 posts

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