Ben Raab, Contributing Photographer

NEW YORK CITY –– The Bulldogs are one game away from the Ivy League season title. And a spot in March Madness. 

No. 2 seed Yale (21–9, 12–3 Ivy) took down No. 3 Cornell (22–7, 11–4 Ivy) in the semifinals of the Ivy League tournament 69–57. They’ll face No. 4 Brown (13–17, 8–6) in the championship game on Sunday, with the winner earning the conference title and an automatic bid to March Madness. 

“We were locked in as much as we’ve been all year,” head coach James Jones told the News. “We controlled the game through our defense, which is one of the things we pride ourselves on.”

Forward Danny Wolf ’26 led scoring for the Bulldogs with 19 points on 8-13 shooting, while guard August Mahoney ’24 shot 5-9 from beyond the arc and finished with 16 points. 

The Elis led for the entirety of the game — they got off to a 9–2 lead in the opening minutes and never looked back. 

“We played with conviction.” Mahoney, the team’s captain, said. “In games like this, you gotta be confident, gotta stay aggressive. The minute you become timid is when they jump on you.”

Mahoney put the Bulldogs up 44–25 with a long ball at the 16:48 mark in the second half, but the Big Red began a slow-but-steady comeback just after. With 7:33 remaining, guard Nazir Williams made a driving layup to cut Yale’s lead down to nine. Two minutes later, the Big Red’s Chris Manon hit a layup to make it 56-50, capping off a 31–6 Cornell run.

But the Bulldogs’ offensive versatility proved too much for Cornell to overcome, as guard Bez Mbeng ’25 made a free throw and John Poulakidas ’25 knocked down a triple to silence the Big Red fans and put Yale back up by 10. 

“Cornell’s gonna double, they’re gonna trap,” Wolf said. “But we have five guys averaging double figures. If you’re not going, somebody else is.”

Poulakidas finished with 11 points, while Matt Knowling ’24 scored 12 points to go along with his seven boards. 

Mbeng finished with three points but made his presence known defensively, limiting Cornell’s Williams to just two points on 1-6 shooting. The two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year also made an impact on the defensive glass, going up high for several tough rebounds and finishing with 10 boards on the night.

“He takes defense personally,” Cornell head coach Brian Earl said of Mbeng. “You can see it in his eyes.”

Cornell’s 57 total points were its second lowest all season. The Big Red entered the game leading the nation in 2-point scoring efficiency with 62.6 percent made per game, but converted on 20-61 attempts on the game, good for just 32.8 percent.

Yale will face No. 4 Brown, which upset Princeton in the first semifinal game, in the Ivy League championship. The Bulldogs split the season series against the Bears 1-1.

If the Bulldogs win tomorrow, they will automatically qualify for the NCAA tournament. 

Sunday’s game will tip off at noon Eastern.

BEN RAAB
Ben Raab covers faculty and academics at Yale and writes about the Yale men's basketball team. Originally from New York City, Ben is a sophomore in Pierson college pursuing a double major in history and political science.