Women’s Basketball’s Fourth-Quarter Rally Comes Up Just Short at Yale, 79-72

Friday, January 17

New Haven, Conn.

5:00 PM

Brown University

6-8 (0-1Ivy)

Yale

11-3 (1-0Ivy)

Brown Bears

Yale Bulldogs

Women’s Basketball’s Fourth-Quarter Rally Comes Up Just Short at Yale, 79-72

1/17/2020 7:48:00 PM | Women's Basketball

Box Score

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Junior Dominique Leonidas led five Bears in double figures with 16 points, but Brown University women's basketball's fourth-quarter rally came up just short in its Ivy League opener at Yale University, 79-72, on Friday evening at the John J. Lee Amphitheater.

Playing in their first game since Dec. 30, the Bears (6-8, 0-1 Ivy) trimmed a 20-point second-half deficit down to three points at 75-72 – outscoring the hosts 24-9 over a 7:39 span in the fourth quarter – before the Bulldogs (11-3, 1-0 Ivy) – ranked No. 18 in the CollegeInsider.com Mid-Major Poll – held on for the win.

"I'm really proud of the way we competed and fought back to get the game within one possession at the end," Brown head coach Sarah Behn said. "We never gave up even when we faced a big deficit. That sort of mentality can help us as we move forward in Ivy play."

Leonidas (Stone Mountain, Ga.) scored her 16 points on 5-of-10 field goals, and 5-of-6 free throws, scoring in double figures for the fifth time this season, while distributing a game-high five assists with two steals.

Sophomore forward Ashley Ducharme (Milton, Mass.) scored a career-high 15 points on 5-of-7 field goals, 2-of-2 3-pointers, and 3-of-3 free throws, finishing in double figures for the third time this year. She also grabbed five rebounds.

Senior guard Justine Gaziano (Natick, Mass.), junior guard McKenna Dale (Storrs, Conn.), and freshman guard Sydney Rosant (Foster City, Ga.) all netted 12 points, marking a career high for Rosant.

Gaziano scored all 12 of her points in the fourth quarter, hitting 4-of-5 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws in the frame. She now has 1,603 career points, becoming the fifth student-athlete in program history to eclipse the 1,600-point barrier. She scored in double figures for the 10^th time this year and 78^th time in her career.

Dale tallied a team-high seven rebounds with two steals to go with her 12 points, scoring in double figures for the fifth straight game and seventh contest this year. Rosant netted her 12 points on 5-of-7 field goals and 2-of-4 3-treys, marking her first collegiate game in double figures.

Senior enter Haley Green (Salem, Va.) posted a team-high seven rebounds, a game-high four blocks, and three assists while freshman forward Fiona Finn (West Roxbury, Mass.) corralled five rebounds.

The Bears shot 53.1 percent from the field, while limiting Yale to 41.2-percent shooting. Brown hit 10-of-14 field goals (71.4 percent) in the fourth quarter. The Bulldogs held advantages in offensive rebounds (16-5) and second-chance points (15-2). Yale forced Brown into 23 turnovers, gaining a 22-14 edge in points off turnovers.

For Yale, Ellen Margaret Andrews scored 19 points with seven rebounds, and Camilla Emsbo notched 17 points and a game-high nine boards. Roxy Barahman totaled 17 points, a game-high eight steals, and five assists, and Tori Andrew chipped in 13 points.

After Yale opened the game with a 9-0 lead, the Bears worked their way back into the contest beginning with a pair of layups from Dale. With the Bulldogs holding a 16-6 edge at the 2:47 mark, the Bears closed the quarter on a 9-0 run behind four points from Leonidas and a 3-pointer from Ducharme, cutting the margin to 16-15 at the end of one.

The two teams played within two possessions of one another throughout the second quarter. Rosant netted seven points during the stanza's first five minutes, giving Brown its first lead at 26-25 with 5:03 to go in the half. A jumper from Dale, 3-pointer from Ducharme, and a jumper from Leonidas kept the Bears up 33-31 before Yale took a 35-33 edge into the intermission.

Brown shot 54.2 percent (13-of-24) from the field in the first half, including hitting 7-of-11 field goals (63.6 percent) in the second quarter.

Baskets from Dale and Ducharme allowed Brown to remain with 40-37 with 7:48 to go in the third quarter before Yale used a 17-0 run to pull ahead 57-37 with 1:49 remaining in the period. A 3-point play from Ducharme helped the Bears stay within 61-43 at the close of three.

The Bears staged a furious fourth-quarter rally, outscoring Yale, 29-18, and hitting 10-of-14 field goals (71.4 percent) and 4-of-5 treys (80.0 percent).

Gaziano opened the frame with a traditional 3-point play before Yale pushed its lead back to 66-48 with 8:13 left. The Bears then used a 24-9 stretch to slice the margin all the way down to three points – 75-72 – with 34 seconds remaining. During that span Gaziano scored nine points, Leonidas, Dale, and sophomore guard Maddie Mullin (Wellesley, Mass.) all hit 3-pointers, and Rosant netted five points in 22 seconds inside of the final minute.

Next, Brown completes the home-and-home with Yale when the Bears host the Bulldogs on Saturday, Jan. 25 at noon (ESPN+/NESN, WPRV-AM 790) in their Ivy home debut at the Pizzitola Sports Center.

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.