Rose Quitslund, Contributing Photographer

Coming off of a historic 2021-22 Ivy League campaign, Yale men’s basketball returned to the John J. Lee Amphitheater on Monday night to begin their title defense against Sarah Lawrence College. 

Yale (1–0, 0–0 Ivy) entered the matchup all but certain to win against Division III Sarah Lawrence (0–0, 0–0 NCAC), who played the game as an exhibition. After going down 5–4 in the opening minutes, the Bulldogs found their rhythm and never looked back, closing out the  game with a 96-41 victory. 

Forward Matt Knowling ’24 went a perfect 10–10 from the field, leading all scorers with 20 points. Guard Bez Mbeng ’25 put in a strong all-around effort, recording seven points, six assists and two blocks. 

Bez finds EJ on the break.

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“I thought that our guys played with pretty good energy tonight, and they did a great job of sharing the ball,” coach James Jones told the News. “We had 29 assists. That’s a great number, so the fact that they played together and shared the ball, that’s always a good thing.”

Jones, as he did last season, opted for a small-ball starting lineup with three guards and two forwards. Guards John Poulakidas ’25 and August Mahoney ’24, who mostly operated in bench roles last season, started in the backcourt along with Mbeng. Forward Isaiah Kelly ’23, the lone senior in the starting five, joined Knowling in the frontcourt. 

“You know nothing is ever set in stone,” Jones said regarding the starting lineup. “If somebody plays better or somebody doesn’t play as well, maybe some changes will be made. We had a starting lineup for the first seven or eight games last year, and then made a change that helped us get off to a better start, so we’ll see. I like the group we have and we’ll see if we continue to be positive with it.” 

The Bulldogs got out to a fast 19–7 lead after an 11–0 run. Multiple three-pointers by Poulakidis and forward Jack Molloy ’25 helped balloon the lead to 33–15.

A noticeable on-court height advantage assisted the Blue and White in suffocating Sarah Lawrence on defense, keeping them on the perimeter and forcing difficult shots. Mbeng, who received the team award for top defender last season, put pressure on the opposing point guard, picking up full court after every made basket. 

Midway through the half, Yale made it 39–15 as Mbeng drove to the basket and kicked it to a cutting Knowling, who soared to the rim for a posterizing dunk over the Gryphons defender, igniting cheers from the crowd and prompting a Sarah Lawrence timeout. 

Forward Matt Knowling ’24 soars for a dunk. Photo: Steve Musco

All of Knowling’s points came on either layups or dunks. 

“I recognize where I was successful last year, and I’m looking to expand on that a bit — handle the ball, shoot the ball from three, score midrange twos, get my teammates the ball,” Knowling said. 

The large lead gave Jones the opportunity to empty his bench early on. Everyone on the roster had recorded playing time by the end of the first half, with the final five minutes featuring all three first years. 

“The one thing about this team is it is really deep,” Jones said. “We have a lot of guys that can help us. I look at the entire roster and everybody can give us something.”

Forward Danny Wolf ’26 made his presence felt in his first minutes as a Bulldog, knocking down a quick three and then a layup to put Yale up 46–18. 

The Bulldogs ended the first half with a 56–21 lead. 

Coming out of the locker room, the Elis picked up where they left off, opening the second half with a 14–2 run, with threes from Mbeng, Mahoney and Poulakidas putting Yale up 72-23. 

Poulakidas, who played sparingly off the bench last season, finished with 10 points in his starting lineup debut. 

“My teammates were doing a nice job of finding me when I was open in my spots, reflected in the 29 assists,” Poulakidas said. “I’m trying to do everything I can to help the team win whether that’s scoring or getting a stop on defense. Obviously I didn’t have a huge role last year, but being part of a successful team like that, you learn what it takes to be a winning team.” 

The highlight of the second half came with 12:32 remaining, as forward EJ Jarvis ’23 underscored Yale’s dominant performance with a windmill dunk off a fastbreak, garnering cheers from the stands and his teammates. 

There were not many signs of offseason rust in the effort, but Yale did record 16 turnovers in the game, a notably high number considering the weak opponent. The Bulldogs protected the ball well last season, averaging just 12.8 turnovers per game averages last season.  

“We made some mistakes tonight and we’re going to work on those in practice,” Jones said. “When we have a bigger opponent, they’re gonna take advantage of our miscues. These guys were not able to take advantage of some of our miscues, but it’s going to be a problem if we don’t clean it up.”

While the victory may not mean much given the lopsided matchup, it cannot be taken for granted in an NCAA sport known for producing upsets. Florida State, an ACC team projected to finish just outside the top 25 in the country, suffered a shocking 83–74 upset to Stetson earlier this week, and USC, also considered one of the nation’s top teams, fell 74-61 to Florida Gulf Coast University. 

The Bulldogs will face stiffer competition next week when they head to a tournament in Hawaii, matching up against Eastern Washington University on Friday.