MuscoSportsPhotos.com

Despite a 68-42 fall to Princeton University (19–5, 10–2), the Yale women’s basketball team (5–7, 11–14) still produced solid performances from consistent players.

Against Princeton, Nyla McGill ’25 secured her eighth double-double of the season with 11 points and 14 rebounds. Brenna McDonald ’24, who has started every game since her first start of the season on Feb. 3, grabbed eight rebounds in 21 minutes of play.

Yale held Princeton to only one three pointer. The Tigers average 5.3 three pointers made per game this season.

“They’re lethal off a catch-and-shoot, especially when wide open,” McGill said, “But because they were a lot weaker off the dribble and creating their own shots, we were able to contain them. This meant going under ball screens and keeping a high hand to discourage them from shooting.”

Princeton was also able to hold the Bulldogs to low shooting from three. The Blue and White, who average 5.7 three pointers per game, converted two of their 14 three-point attempts.

Princeton won the game with two-point shots inside the paint, where they outscored the Bulldogs 38–24. The final score of the game was 68–42.

“We fought all the way through to the end,” said head coach Dalila Eshe to Yale Athletics. “From yesterday [against Penn] and today I saw our team’s fight. We responded when adversity hit, which is a sign of us growing as a team.”

Yale will continue to fight for a win against Cornell University (3–9, 10–15) this Saturday.

Two Cornell players, Ania McNicholas and Emily Pape, average over 10 points per game this season. When they last played Yale on January 14, McNicholas scored 16 points and Pape scored 14. Their combined 30 points were not enough to beat the Bulldogs, however, as Christen McCann ’25, Klara Aastroem ’24, and McGill combined for 48 points to overpower the Big Red. The final score was 68–56.

“We were just really gritty and tough and had each other’s back,” said Avery Lee ’25.

The upcoming game against Cornell will be the second to last game of Yale’s regular season. If the Bulldogs beat the Big Red, they will be able to finish the year at .500 in Ivy League play by winning their final game on March 4 against Brown (4–8, 11–13).

The Bulldogs will look to bounce back this Saturday in their game at Cornell, which will begin at 2:00 p.m. in Ithaca, NY.

HENRY FRECH
Henry Frech is a junior in Jonathan Edwards College majoring in history and hailing from Salt Lake City, Utah. He covers volleyball and women's basketball for the YDN. This semester, he is studying abroad in Mérida, Mexico.