After starting the season with a win against Pac-12 opponent Washington and an overtime victory over Lehigh, the Yale men’s basketball team dropped two straight games against ACC stalwarts No. 7 Virginia and Pittsburgh. The Bulldogs had a chance late to return to their winning ways on Saturday, but a last-second layup gave Vermont a 67–65 victory in Burlington.

Yale (2–3, 0–0 Ivy) made a ferocious comeback in the second half, returning from as many as 14 points down to take a two-point lead with 1:46 to play. The Bulldogs outrebounded Vermont (6–2, 0–0 America East) 38–29, but 18 Eli turnovers and 49.1 percent shooting for the Catamounts proved too much to overcome.

Vermont shot 69.2 percent from the field in the first half, taking an eight-point lead into halftime. Forward Anthony Lamb scored 14 points in the opening 20 minutes for the Catamounts and finished with a team-high 18.

The first half also saw the career debut of Yale’s highly-touted forward Jordan Bruner ’20. The freshman, who sat out the first four games with injury, came off the bench to score eight points in the first half.

Bruner’s fellow freshman guard Miye Oni ’20 continued his dominant start to the season. Oni led all players with 19 points and eight rebounds. Captain and guard Anthony Dallier ’17 also helped the Bulldogs control the glass, bringing down eight rebounds of his own.

Yale’s balanced offense distributed the ball as it has all year. Forwards Sam Downey ’17 and Blake Reynolds ’19 each scored in double figures, with the senior tallying 13 and the sophomore finishing with 11. Reynolds is the only Bulldog to score at least 10 points in every game this season and has proven clutch late in contests, putting up seven points in the final eight minutes against Vermont.

Vermont’s win over Yale continues the team’s strong start to the season. The Catamounts reached the championship game of the eight-team Gulf Coast Showcase earlier this week, and their 6–2 record ranks second best in the America East.

The Bulldogs will remain on the road as they travel to Bryant on Wednesday for their fourth straight game away from New Haven. Yale will look to get its second away win in the 7 p.m. tip-off from Providence, the same city where the Elis won their first NCAA tournament game in program history last March.

MATTHEW MISTER