M. basketball falls in opener

The men’s basketball team opened the season on a sour note Tuesday night, falling to Air Force, 68-62.

In the first round of the Guardians Classic in Columbia, Mo., the Elis could not overcome a 14-point halftime deficit. Forward Paul Vitelli ’04 led the team with 16 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bulldogs (0-1) were scoreless in the first six minutes of the game, and Air Force (1-0) ended the half on a 26-13 run. The 33-19 halftime lead proved insurmountable.

The Bulldogs shot a disappointing 38 percent from the floor (18 for 48). The Yale defense, meanwhile, allowed the Falcons to shoot a torrid 57 percent (21 for 37).

In his college debut, highly-touted recruit Edwin Draughan ’05 struggled from the floor, making only three of 10 field goal attempts en route to 8 points. He added one rebound, three assists and four turnovers in 31 minutes of play.

Mark Lovett ’05 added 8 points off the bench for the Elis, making all three of his field goal attempts. Scott Gaffield ’04 struggled from the outside, hitting only one of his eight three-point attempts.

Air Force’s Lamoni Yazzie led all scorers with 21 points, connecting on four of five attempts from three-point territory. Joel Gerlach added 14 points and Robert Todd chipped in 12 for Air Force.

On a positive note for the Elis, they outrebounded the Falcons 26-20. The Bulldogs also converted 20 of 23 free throw attempts.

Wednesday night, the Bulldogs will face Tennessee-Martin, 89-63 losers to No. 8 Missouri in the tournament’s other game.

–Jeremy Licht