Yale men can’t dig out of early hole at No. 21 Auburn

Yale fell behind No. 21 Auburn 11-0 on the road Saturday.

The game wasn’t even that close at the time, with the Tigers blocking six Yale shots during the run.

Bruce Pearl’s squad secured the win with relative ease, 86-64.

Yale coach James Jones adjusted his defense after the early Auburn surge. The Bulldogs (5-5) went on their own run and started to dictate the tempo of the game.

But the War Eagle relentless pressure and superior athleticism was too much for the smaller Elis, and Auburn (7-1) took a 47-30 lead into the half. It was the most first-half points notched by the Tigers this season.

The second half brought much of the same.

Sophomore guard K.D. Johnson led the Tigers with 19 points and freshman forward Jabari Smith posted 17 points and eight rebounds.

Junior guard Matt Cotton pitched in 14 points for Yale, while and junior forward EJ Jarvis had arguably his best game of the season, contributing nine points and eight boards in just 19 minutes in a reserve role.

The Elis are next in action Tuesday at 7 p.m. at John J. Lee Amphitheater against Albany, Jones’ alma mater.