Yale Athletics

The Yale men’s basketball team (1–0) opened their season in front of a national audience Friday against the Navy Midshipmen (1–1) and powered to a 97-68 victory. 

Despite high expectations following their recent success, the Elis proved the lights were not too bright. 

“I thought it was a good first showing. I love how balanced and deep our team is, and I thought we really played as a cohesive unit,” captain Nick Townsend ’26 wrote in a message to the News.

The starting lineup of Trevor Mullin ’27, Casey Simmons ’26, Isaac Celiscar ’28, Nick Townsend ’26 and Samson Aletan ’27 looked much different than last year’s five, following the departures of leading scorer John Poulakidas ’25 and reigning Ivy League Player of the Year Bez Mbeng ’25. 

The results, however, do not appear to have changed. A dominant offensive outburst combined with a stifling defense resulted in a 29-point margin of victory.

The game was competitive for the first 15 minutes of action, with Navy jumping out to an 18-9 lead after eight minutes. Townsend drilled four three-pointers on six attempts to right the ship, and with 4:30 to play in the first half, the Bulldogs led by three points, 31-28. 

Ignited by a Celiscar three-point jumper, Yale then went on a 15-3 run to close the half. The Midshipmen did not make a single field goal during that span, which was capped off by an athletic pull-up three from Mullin. 

After allowing a Navy layup at the start of the second half, which brought the score to 46-33, the Bulldogs went on a 14-0 run. According to NCAA men’s basketball data scientist Evan Miya, when a team goes on at least a 10-0 run, that team is favored to win 71 percent of the time. 

At this point, the game was effectively decided, though Riley Fox ’28 certainly kept the game entertaining. A few minutes after the 14-0 run ended, the sharpshooting wing scored seven straight points, bringing the score to 68-35. After a breather on the bench, Fox returned in full force with a highlight reel dunk. When all was said and done, the breakout sophomore star had 24 points on 4-6 three-point shooting. 

Townsend, the preseason Ivy Player of the Year favorite, was Yale’s next leading scorer on the night, with 23 points. He also tacked on nine rebounds and five assists in the dominant win. 

Yale was able to move outside the rotation near the end of the game, allowing for four of the team’s first years to make their NCAA debuts. 

“Debuting in my first college game on national television and winning in dominant fashion was the ultimate blessing and a childhood dream come true,” power forward Daniel Ogunyemi ’29  wrote in a text message.

He recorded five points and four rebounds in three minutes of action.

Yale’s dominance turned some heads after the game Friday night. During the postgame show, alongside Georgetown and Indiana Pacers great Roy Hibbert, CBS Sports commentator Jon Rothstein heaped praise on this Eli squad. 

He highlighted the Bulldogs’ March Madness Cinderella potential and remarked that the Elis would be a handful even for Hibberts’ Georgetown teams that made it as far as the Final Four.

“Yale is the type of team that Roy’s teams could have played in the NCAA tournament in the first round,” Rothstein said. “And you’re looking at the requisites, and even though it’s week one, I would not want to see this team in the NCAA tournament.”

Yale will take on Quinnipiac Tuesday in Hamden.