Any worries that Brown would avenge its loss to Yale last week proved fruitless as the Bulldogs handled the Bears a 73–60 loss Saturday in Providence, R.I.
The Elis (12–4, 2–0 Ivy) did not hold a lead in the second half until less than two minutes remained when Brown (5–13, 0–2 Ivy) visited the Lee Amphitheater Jan. 14. This time, the Elis held the lead for all but 24 seconds after the break on the way to their victory.
“I think we did a lot better job of handling their pressure,” forward Greg Kelley ’14 said. “And our defense helped us to maintain the lead for most of the second half.”
Captain and forward Reggie Willhite ’12 led the attack in the first half, scoring 11 of his 13 points as the Bulldogs took a 38–35 lead into the break. Foul trouble sidelined him for much of the second half, but guard Jesse Pritchard ’14 and the Yale bench were there to fill the void.
Pritchard scored all of his career-high nine points after intermission, including four during an 8-0 run early in the second half to help the Elis pull away.
“It was just a matter of opportunity,” Pritchard said about his performance. “Coach knows I can produce given the opportunity.”
The Bulldog bench outscored the Bear reserves 16-8, and all eight of Brown’s bench points came from guard Jean Harris.
Key to this matchup against Brown was defense. Brown shot only 32 percent from beyond the arc Saturday compared to more than 52 percent in the first meeting. Brown guard Sean McGonagill was held to only 11 points after he went off for 23 in the first contest.
Yale also had an improved effort on the boards on Saturday, out-rebounding Brown 44-27. Forward Greg Mangano ’12 said that rebounding is especially important in Ivy League play because it gives you more possessions.
“[Rebounding] is something we’ve been successful at all season,” Mangano said. “We do have a lot of size.”
Mangano led the effort with 11 rebounds while Pritchard and center Jeremiah Kreisberg ’14 chipped in with eight apiece. Mangano also led the team with 18 points for his eighth double-double of the season.
Yale next takes the court Friday, Jan. 27, when No. 24 Harvard pays a visit to the Lee Amphitheater. Tip-off will be 7 p.m.