Women's Basketball Falls in Ivy Opener at Yale, 66-49

Friday, January 16

New Haven, Conn.

7 pm

Brown University

5-9, 0-1Ivy

Yale

7-8, 1-0Ivy

Brown

Yale

Women's Basketball Falls in Ivy Opener at Yale, 66-49

1/16/2015 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Despite an early second half run, the Brown women's basketball team couldn't rally from a 22-point deficit as Yale claimed the Ivy League opener, 66-49 at John J. Lee Amphitheater on Friday.

The Bears drop to 5-9 overall and 0-1 in league play, while the Bulldogs improve to 7-8 (1-0 Ivy).

Jordin Alexander (Fishers, Ind.) paced the Brown attack with 12 points and Ellise Sharpe posted her third consecutive double-figure performance for the Bears on Friday.

Natalie Ball (Orlando, Fla.) chipped in with seven points, while freshmen Megan Reilly (Norwood, N.J.) and Janie White (Clarksville, Tenn.) each deposited six points. Brown attempted a season-low three attempts from behind the arc, getting blanked in that category for the first time this season.

Seemingly displaying some rust from a 12-day layoff, the Bears struggled in the first half as the host Bulldogs rushed out to an early 8-0 lead just four minutes in. 14 first half turnovers plagued the Bears in the opening stanza, as the Bulldogs converted those miscues into 12 points.

After White cut Yale's lead to 10-4, the Bulldogs countered with an 18-2 run over a nine-minute span to grab their largest lead of the half at 28-6. Buckets from Sharpe, Musgrove, and White spurred a little flurry for Brown that drew them back at 30-14 entering the locker room.

Junior Nyasha Sarju paced the Bulldog attack with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting in the first half.

The Brown press forced five Yale turnovers during a 19-4 run that saw the Bears make it a game again at 32-25. Alexander highlighted the rally with six points to start the second half and strong drives to the basket that led to opportunities from the charity stripe.

Undaunted, the Bulldogs countered the Brown surge with a 9-2 run of their own to put the Bears in a double-digit deficit. Tamara Simpson led the Bulldog charge with 10 second half points, finishing the night with a game-high 19 points and six rebounds.

The hosts salted the game away in the final minutes with strong shooting to clinch the Ivy opener.

Brown returns to action on Tuesday, as they play host to NJIT for a special 11:30 a.m. matinee at the Pizzitola Sports Center.