Yale Athletics

While most students traveled home over Thanksgiving break, the Yale men’s basketball team (4–4, 0–0 Ivy) went to the Mohegan Sun Arena to play in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off. While there, the team went 1–1, earning a dominant win over Fairfield (3–4, 0–0 MAAC) with a score of 91–66 before losing to Delaware (4–3, 0–0 CAA) 94–100.

Yale vs Fairfield

Against the Fairfield Stags the Bulldogs came out hot, taking a 20-point first half lead and never looking back en route to a 25 point win. The win was a landmark for head coach James Jones as it marked his 400th career victory.

The story of the game for Yale was balanced scoring, with four players scoring double digit points for the Bulldogs. 

Leading the way as he has been all season was John Poulakidas ’25. The sharpshooter did much of his damage from three point range, going 6–7 from three. Poulakidas only missed one shot all game, continuing his streak of efficient offensive games. The Yale senior currently ranks No. 30 in the nation in three point percentage at 47.62 percent. 

In support of Poulakidas were big men Nick Townsend ’26 and Samson Aletan ’27 with 16 and 15 points respectively. First-year Isaac Celiscar ’28 also added in 10 points off the bench to help secure the win. 

Yale vs Delaware

The game started out close, with Yale and Delaware going back and forth in the first few minutes. However, the Blue Hens managed to pull away by the end of the first half and held onto the lead for the remainder of the game. 

For the Bulldogs, Bez Mbeng ’25 and Townsend continued to show their shooting ability, both leaving the court with 20 points. Poulakidas was not far behind, tallying 19 on the night. Although these three players continue to perform game after game, it’s clear that the job can’t be done by them alone. 

All five of Delaware’s starters put up more than 10 points by the end of the game. Looking at the Bulldogs, that depth is something that is still being developed after the transfer of Danny Wolf to Michigan and some key graduates. Some positive strides have been seen in this regard with Celiscar at the beginning of the season, but only time will tell if he will be a player the Bulldogs can rely on as the season progresses. 

Game by game consistency is something for the Bulldogs to focus on and this depth and stability could provide relief for their starters. 

Another theme that has come to light at the start of this season is Yale’s ability to close out a game. The Bulldogs came close to taking the lead by the end of the first half but could not quite manage to keep their momentum going when the second half began. Learning how to hold onto momentum will be a key factor in determining wins this season. 

This weekend tune in to watch the Bulldogs take on the Vermont Catamounts at home in New Haven. Tipoff is at 2 p.m. on Saturday and will be streamed on ESPN+.