Gaziano, Will Score Over 20 Apiece, Women’s Basketball Falls at Yale, 84-72

Saturday, January 26

New Haven, Conn.

2:00 PM

Brown University

9-9, 1-1Ivy Lg

Yale

11-6, 1-1Ivy Lg

Brown Bears

Yale Bulldogs

Gaziano, Will Score Over 20 Apiece, Women’s Basketball Falls at Yale, 84-72

1/26/2019 4:54:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Junior guard Justine Gaziano scored 24 points, and senior guard Taylor Will netted a season-high 23 points, but Brown University women's basketball's second-half rally came up short in an 84-72 setback at Yale University on Saturday afternoon at the John J. Lee Amphitheater.

Playing in their first Ivy League road game of the year, the Bears (9-9, 1-1 Ivy) cut a 14-point third quarter deficit to three points at 72-69 with 5:22 to play, but the host Bulldogs (11-6, 1-1 Ivy) made their last eight shots from the floor and hit five free throws in the final 1:11 to seal the decision.

"I was proud that the girls fought and cut it to three," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "We played hard, but we got in foul trouble and didn't make some shots that we normally make. We had a hard time keeping Roxy Barahman in front of us, and if we bottled her up, then someone else seemed to get hot."

Gaziano (Natick, Mass.) netted her 24 points on 8-of-15 field goals, 4-of-8 3-pointers, and 4-of-4 free throws alongside six rebounds. She now has 1,205 career points, moving into 12^th place on Brown's all-time scoring list and now has 126 career made 3-pointers, moving into sixth place in program history. She scored over 20 points for the eighth time this year and 27^th time in her career.

Will (Arlington Heights, Ill.) tallied her 23 points on 9-of-14 shots from the field, including 7-of-8 shooting from inside the 3-point arc. She scored over 20 points for the first time this year and seventh time in her career, while adding five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

Senior guard Shayna Mehta (San Francisco, Calif.) totaled 13 points, seven steals, five rebounds, and five assists – averaging 7.5 steals per game in the Yale series. She now has 1,608 career points, becoming the fourth student-athlete in program history with over 1,600 career points and has 587 career made field goals, moving into fourth place in the Brown record book.

Senior forward Erika Steeves (Montreal, Quebec) finished with eight points and eight rebounds, making 2-of-5 triples. She now has 1,084 career points, moving into a tie for 14^th place in program history and has 741 career rebounds, moving into sixth place in the Brown record book.

For the game, Brown led 27-14 in points off turnovers and made 13-of-16 free throws (81.3 percent). Yale countered with advantages in rebounds (54-35) and points in the paint (42-26). In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs made 8-of-11 field goals and 6-of-8 free throws.

Steeves opened the game with a 3-pointer, and baskets from Gaziano, Will, and Mehta kept the Bears within 10-9 of Yale with 4:02 to go in the first quarter. An elbow jumper from Will and a layup from freshman guard Traiva Breedlove (Rochester, N.Y.) allowed Brown to remain within 16-13 of the Bulldogs at the end of one.

Steeves and Gaziano both connected on 3-pointers early in the second quarter to trim Brown's deficit to 21-19 at the 6:56 mark. Yale responded with a 15-3 run, pulling ahead 36-22 with 3:38 to go in the half. Two buckets from Will and a 3-pointer from Mehta helped whittle the margin to 41-32 at the break.

In the first half, Brown limited Yale to 22.2-percent shooting from 3-point distance, but the Bulldogs held a 24-16 edge in points in the paint behind a 29-19 rebounding advantage.

After Yale opened up a 48-34 lead early in the third quarter, the Bears used a 15-6 run to cut the margin to 54-49 with 5:21 to go in the frame. During the run, Will converted a 3-point play and hit a 3-pointer while Gaziano knocked down a trey. A step-back 3-pointer from Gaziano kept the Bears within 62-56 at the end of the third quarter.

With the Bulldogs remaining ahead 68-59 with 7:24 to play, the Bears used a 10-4 spurt to pull within 72-69 at the 5:23 mark. Will started the run with a 3-point play and capped the streak with a wing 3-pointer. A Gaziano triple brought Brown within 77-72 with 2:25 to go before Yale made five free throws in the final 1:11 to seal the win. The Bulldogs made their last eight shots from the floor.

For Yale, Roxy Barahman posted game highs in points (31) and assists (six), and Camilla Emsbo registered a double-double on 10 points and 12 rebounds. Alex Cade (14 points) and Tori Andrew (12 points) rounded out the Bulldogs' double-figure scorers.

The Bears and Bulldogs split the regular season series after Brown earned an 86-71 win on Jan. 18 in Providence.

Next, Brown hosts its first back-to-back Ivy League weekend with match-ups against Dartmouth on Feb. 1 at 6:30 p.m. (ESPN+) and Harvard on Feb. 2 at 4:30 p.m. (ESPN+/NESN).

Video of all Brown women's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+.

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.