Brown University
11-5, 2-1Ivy
Yale
9-7, 0-3Ivy
Mehta's 20 Points Push Women's Hoops Past Yale in Ivy Home Opener, 76-73
1/20/2017 12:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sophomore guard Shayna Mehta scored a team-high 20 points to lead Brown University women's basketball to a 76-73 win over Yale University in its Ivy League home opener on Friday evening at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
The Bears (11-5, 2-1 ivy) never trailed the Bulldogs (9-7, 0-3 Ivy) in the game, built a lead as large as 18 points, and held off a second-half surge from the visitors.
"I'm really proud of the girls for pulling out the win," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "We haven't beaten Yale in a long time. We were up a lot, but had the composure to pull out a win, and I'm just really proud of the girls."
Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.) netted her 20 points on 7-of-11 shooting and added seven rebounds. She scored 20 or more points in a game for the third time this season.
Sophomore forward Erika Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) posted her fifth double-double of the season on 10 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.
Freshman guard Justine Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) registered 17 points and five rebounds while rookie guard Abby O'Keefe (St. Louis, Mo.) tallied 11 points. Sophomore guard Taylor Will (Arlington Heights, Ill.) totaled eight points, seven rebounds, and a game-high five assists.
Brown snapped a seven-game losing streak against Yale in the series with the Bears defeating the Bulldogs for the first time since Jan. 19, 2013. Brown held Yale to 36.8-percent shooting and kept the rebounding even at 41-41.
Holding a 7-4 lead midway through the first quarter, Brown used a 14-2 run to take a 21-6 lead with 48 seconds to go in the opening period. Five Bears scored during the run with Mehta netting six points, including a baseline jumper and a fast break layup. The hosts led 21-10 after one.
The Bears pushed their edge to 26-10 in the first 39 seconds of the second quarter behind a 3-pointer from junior Megan Reilly (Norwood, N.J.) and a Gaziano layup. O'Keefe capped a 7-0 spurt with a jumper from the wing, giving Brown its largest lead of the game, 35-17, with 6:15 left in the second. After Yale pulled within 36-26, Brown responded with a 10-3 run, including a corner 3-pointer from Gaziano to make it 46-29, and the Bears took a 46-31 advantage into halftime.
Brown moved ahead 53-39 early in the third quarter before the Bulldogs pulled within 53-47 at the 6:21 mark on a 12-2 run. Mehta later scored eight of Brown's next nine points to elevate the Bears' edge to 64-51 with 1:57 to go in the third. The hosts remained ahead 65-54 heading to the fourth quarter.
After the Bears took a 69-54 lead 51 seconds into the fourth frame, Yale answered with a 13-0 run to trim its deficit to 69-67 with 4:41 remaining. Will ended the streak with a free throw, and a baseline jumper from sophomore Mary Butler (Bangor, Maine) made it 74-69 with 2:25 left. A Will layup in traffic kept Brown up 76-71 with 2:03 left, and the hosts allowed just two points the rest of the way.
For Yale, Lena Munzer led all scorers with 22 points and added eight rebounds. Jen Berkowitz (18 points), Mary Ann Santucci (13), and Tamara Simpson (12) all scored in double figures.
Next, Brown plays at Yale on Friday, Jan. 27 at 5:30 p.m. (ILDN).
Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ILDN.TV/BROWN.
Tickets for all Brown women's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
