Yale scored 62 points in its loss Tuesday at Quinnipiac, but the Bulldogs scored 64 more points than Lyndon State last night.
The Elis broke away from the Lyndon State Hornets, a Division III program, early in the first half and never looked back on the way to a 101-37 victory.
Captain Reggie Willhite ’12 set the tone for the game when he slammed home an alley-oop pass from Isaiah Salafia ’14 to take the lead 4-2. After a 14-0 run highlighted by a steal and four points from Willhite, the Bulldogs put the game away with a 29-1 run that extend the lead to 39 points. Sam Martin ’13 ignited the run by making four straight three-point attempts. Head coach James Jones said that Martin’s range from beyond the arc would be an asset for the team throughout the season.
“I just hope Sam Martin shoots like he shot tonight,” Jones said. “If he shoots like that we will be okay.”
Towards the end of the first half, Jones removed his starters from the game, but that did not stem the tide of Bulldog buckets.
Every member of the Bulldog’s bench played during the first half. Martin’s 12 points led the team at the break, and a total of 11 players scored for the Elis as they went into halftime leading 56-13.
Even with the game well in hand, the Bulldogs continued to hustle on the court. Despite being up 48 points, Brandon Sherrod ’15 took a charge and players continued to dive for loose balls.
“A lot of the guys that sometimes don’t get a lot of minutes in games came in and did a lot of good things,” Martin said. “I thought Will Bartlett ’14 diving on the floor was great … [Guys were] just giving up their bodies.”
Every active player on the Yale roster played for at least 10 minutes, and all but starter Salafia scored. Jones and Martin said that it was important to get everyone involved in the game because every player works hard in practice. Those players took advantage of their playing time.
Bartlett’s diving effort in the second half led to a breakaway dunk by Armani Cotton ’15 that extended the lead to 99-37. Will Childs-Klein ’15 drove by his defender for a two-handed slam before the final buzzer to put the Bulldogs over the century mark for the first time since 2003.
In a game that was far from competitive, there were several moments in the game that brought laughter to the Bulldogs. One of those came when Javier Duren ’15 hustled back to prevent a breakaway basket and appeared to accidentally disrupt the shot with his head.
“I didn’t know where the ball was,” Duren said. “[The referee] said the ball went out on me. Hopefully I did [block it]. Hopefully I can grow my hair taller and block a couple more shots.”
The 64-point blow-out was the most lopsided win in Yale history, breaking a 56 year old record. Yale will play next Nov. 22 away against the Seton Hall Pirates.