Yale Athletics

Playing with a shallow bench that included only three active reserves, the Yale women’s basketball team (0–1) showed grit in a Friday night loss to Northeastern (1–1). The Bulldogs also saw several excellent individual performances in their season opener 

When Friday’s leading scorer Ciniya Moore ’28 knocked down a corner three for Yale’s first points of the season, the energy was high inside the John J. Lee Amphitheater.

“It meant a lot to score the first points of the season. It kind of set the tone for us — getting off to a strong start was a big focal point, and I felt like it gave us good momentum early on,” Moore told the News.

Moore led the Bulldogs with 20 points, going 2-for-5 from three and a perfect 4-for-4 from the line. One of the aspects of her game that she is focusing on most this season is deliberately drawing more contact.

“I’m really focusing on being more intentional about getting to the line,” she said. “Getting there not only helps me get in rhythm, but it also puts pressure on the defense and opens things up for my teammates.”

Captain Kiley Capstraw ’26 added 19 points, four rebounds and a steal, fueling Yale’s comeback after trailing by as many as 15 points in the second quarter. She kept the team’s energy high through the final whistle, celebrating her and-one shot at the end of the fourth quarter with visible intensity.

“I tried to remind my teammates of the success we’ve already shown in practice,” Capstraw said. “We’ve displayed fantastic things in practice, and I just wanted to remind them that we are capable.”

Transfer forward Luisa Vydrova ’27 made an instant impact for the Bulldogs with an individual 10-point run in the second quarter. She shot an efficient 6-for-7 and finished with 14 points, nine rebounds and three assists.

For her teammates, Vydrova’s strong performance in Friday’s game was expected.

“Luisa is a fantastic player who is more than capable of going on a 10-point run in every single game. It was no surprise — she shows her consistency and dominance every day in practice,” Capstraw said.

Despite forcing 12 steals, the Bulldogs struggled with on-ball defense and boxing out — key areas that players mentioned wanting to improve on before Tuesday’s matchup against Hofstra (0–1).

“We can definitely improve our communication on the defensive end — talking through screens, switches and rotations,” Moore said. “If we clean up the boards and stay locked in defensively, we’ll put ourselves in a great position.”

The Bulldogs will look to get their first win when they face Hofstra at home on Tuesday at 6 p.m.