Sophia Wang

Yale closed out its regular season in record-tying fashion, securing a 70-61 road win over Brown to match the program’s best-ever Ivy League record

The Bulldogs (20–7, 13–1 Ivy) took down the Bears (14–13, 6–8) on Saturday afternoon in their final game of the regular season. Yale will now face No. 4 seeded Princeton (19–10, 8–6) in the first round of Ivy Madness next Saturday. 

“I thought defensively we were good, locked in, guys helping each other out, and I thought that was the difference in the game for us,” head coach James Jones said after the game. 

The victory marks Yale’s 13th win in conference play, tied for the most in program history with the 2015-16 and 1961-62 teams. The Bulldogs were on the verge of setting a new record after opening play 12-0 but lost last Saturday to Harvard (12–15, 7–7).

The Elis played a back-and-forth game with multiple lead changes, but John Poulakidas ’25 scored 19 second half points to help the Bulldogs pull away in the game’s final minutes. Poulakidas led all scorers with 27 points on 11-17 shooting from the field. Guard Bez Mbeng ’25 and center Samson Aletan ’27 each had strong defensive performances, with four steals and five blocks, respectively. 

Yale will return to Brown’s Pizzitola Sports Center next week, where the four-team Ivy Tournament is being hosted this year. At last season’s tournament, the Bulldogs defeated the Bears 62-61 on a buzzer-beating layup in the championship game, earning a spot in March Madness. In the opening round of that tournament, the No. 13-seeded Bulldogs took down No. 4 Auburn in a thrilling upset victory. 

Princeton has underperformed this season but is a dangerous first-round opponent. The Tigers were picked first in the Ivy League’s preseason media poll after winning the regular season title last season. 

Both the 2015-16 and 1961-62 Bulldogs received automatic bids to the NCAA Tournament. The 2015-16 team went on to win the program’s first-ever March Madness game in an upset victory over Baylor. Both teams earned their bids before the Ivy League instituted its tournament in 2017, which changed the format from awarding the NCAA berth to the top team in the standings to a four-team tournament at the end of the season.

Saturday’s semi-final game against Princeton will tip-off at 11 a.m. in Providence.