Christina Lee, Head Photography Editor

Follow along for live updates as Yale plays Princeton in Providence, Rhode Island for this year’s Ivy League semifinals — the victor of which earns a spot in the championship game.

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Second half | Yale 59, Princeton 57

Princeton’s Xavian Lee got the right look out of the timeout but his three-point attempt for the lead was no good. Princeton get the offensive rebound but cannot get the shot off as time runs out. YALE WINS.

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

Second half, 3.8 seconds remaining | Yale 59, Princeton 57

Yale runs the clock down, but Poulakidas does not take the shot, resulting in a shot clock violation. The Tigers will have 3.8 seconds to either tie for overtime or steal a spot in the Ivy Madness final.

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

Second half, :40 remaining | Yale 59, Princeton 57

It’s been back-and-forth action in the last minute, but Poulakidas restores Yale’s lead with a tough three.

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

Second half, 2:14 remaining | Yale 53, Princeton 54

An emphatic three from Princeton’s CJ Happy gives the Tigers a one-point lead before another three rims out in agonizing fashion. Yale has been kept scoreless for the last two minutes, as the Tigers have kept chipping away at Yale’s advantage.

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

Second half, 5:09 remaining | Yale 53, Princeton 47

Aletan throws down an alley-oop off a Townsend assist! 

Yale has made only two of their last eight shots, but Princeton’s lax defending has bailed the Bulldogs out with trips to the free-throw line, allowing them to maintain the lead. 

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

Second half, 7:25 remaining | Yale 49, Princeton 45

As a three-pointer from Princeton’s Blake Peters cuts Yale’s lead to four, Mullin’s foul will send Tigers star Caden Pierce to the line after the timeout.

Yale might need to pass the rock more, as they trail Princeton’s twelve assists with just six.

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

Second half, 8:36 remaining | Yale 47, Princeton 42

Mbeng is fouled on a fast break following his third steal of the game, and the ensuing play leads to Yale’s first points after a scoreless run lasting over two minutes. 

Princeton’s Xavian Lee responds with a tough step back three to cut the lead to 7 points.

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

Second half, under 10 minutes left | Yale 47, Princeton 39

After Townsend drained his free throw, the Tigers came back with two back-to-back layups.

— Sienna Tejpaul, Staff Reporter

Second half, 11:16 remaining | Yale 45, Princeton 35

A cagey couple of minutes for both teams, with only two field goals made. Yale has continued their rebounding superiority over the Tigers, allowing them to keep up the pressure offensively and defensively. 

Townsend will go to the free-throw line after the timeout.

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

Second half, 16:31 remaining | Yale 39, Princeton 28

It’s been the Poulakidas show so far in the first few minutes of the second half. The senior guard knocked down his and Yale’s first two threes of the game, followed by a defensive rebound to secure the Bulldogs’ largest lead of the day.

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

HALFTIME | Yale 31, Princeton 25

At the half, Yale leads Princeton by six points.

Both teams have struggled from three-point range. Yale is scoreless from three, but the Bulldogs have dominated scoring in the paint, with 24 points to Princeton’s 12.

Offensively, Yale will hope for more from their season leader, John Poulakidas, who averaged over 19 points per game but has only four points in the first half. Likewise, they must be wary of Xavian Lee in the second half – he recorded Princeton’s first two triple-doubles in program history during the season and has six points, five rebounds, and three assists thus far.

Yale beat Princeton in both their regular-season matchups. 

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

First half, 2:03 remaining | Yale 31, Princeton 20

Yale has gone on a 10-0 run to balloon the lead back to nine points, forcing another timeout.

Townsend leads both teams in points and rebounds, with eight of each to his name.

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

First half, 5:06 remaining | Yale 23, Princeton 20

A three pointer from Princeton’s Jake Peters cut the lead to 1 point, the closest Princeton has been in the game. A jumper from Samson Aletan pulls the Bulldogs’ lead back to three points.

Yale has been cold from the three-point line so far, missing all five of its attempts.

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

First half, 9:41 remaining | Yale 16, Princeton 12

Halfway through the first half, Yale has managed to keep Princeton’s leading scorer, Xavian Lee, relatively quiet. He averaged 17 points per game during the season. So far, he has made one of his four field goal attempts but has two rebounds and two assists.

A 5-0 run has allowed the Tigers to claw back into the game.

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

First half, 12:03 remaining | Yale 14, Princeton 5

Yale continues to dominate the Tigers, keeping up the defensive effort that has allowed just five points in the first eight minutes.

Three-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Bez Mbeng has led the way with two steals. 

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

First half, 16:00 remaining | Yale 9, Princeton 0

The Bulldogs are off to a strong start, forcing a timeout within the first four minutes of the half. 

Yale has stifled the Princeton offense so far, shutting them out while forcing two turnovers. Offensively, forward Nick Townsend leads the way with four points. He has scored on both of his field goal attempts so far. 

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

First half, 20:00 remaining | Yale 0, Princeton 0

Bez Mbeng ’25, John Poulakidas ’25, Casey Simmons ’26, Nick Townsend ’26 and Samson Aletan ’27  are Yale’s starting five. 

Head Coach James Jones is going with the usual starting lineup for the Ivy League semifinals. 

— Pranava Dhar, Contributing Reporter

Game day, 9:05 a.m.

PROVIDENCE — The No. 1 seeded Bulldogs (20–7, 13–1 Ivy) have arrived at Pizzitola Sports Center to face off against the Princeton Tigers (19–10, 8–6 Ivy) in the semi-finals of the Ivy Madness Tournament. The team’s starting lineup has yet to be announced.

Head Coach James Jones is looking to bring the Bulldogs back to the NCAA March Madness tournament for the second year in a row. Last year was especially notable for the Elis given their Cinderella-story upset versus the Auburn Tigers in the tournament’s first round. 

Only time will tell to see if the Bulldogs can do it again, taking down two Ivy opponents along the way. The game is set to tip-off at 11 a.m.. You can follow along here for in-game updates and analysis.

– Kaitlyn Pohly, Sports Editor