After a disappointing loss at Penn on Saturday set up by a subpar performance by Azar Swain, Yale got just what the doctor ordered Tuesday night: a visit to Payne Whitney Gym from Ivy bottom-dweller Columbia.
But Yale did not play down to the opposition.
The Elis never trailed en route to an 83-72 win.
Swain avenged a 3-for-13 shooting performance at the Palestra with a career-high 37 points on 14-for-20 shooting from the field and a 6-for-8 performance from three-point range. The senior guard posted 24 points in the first half, leading the Elis to a 46-28 halftime advantage.
Yale (9-9, 3-1 Ivy) jumped out to a 20-2 lead, with Swain scoring 13 of those points.
Coach James Jones was thrilled with the performance.
“The energy and effort that we started the game was tremendous, as good as we’ve played on both sides of the ball all year,” Jones said. “Azar Swain was absolutely terrific, [they] couldn’t stop him. Seemed like whatever he was shooting was going in. He did a great job of playing off his teammates and scoring the ball and on the defensive end.”
Yale senior guard Jalen Gabbidon chipped in 20 points on 7-for-10 shooting.
Senior forward Ike Nweke led Columbia (4-13, 1-4) with 21 points, 19 of which came in the second half.
Yale has now won 11 of its last 13 games against Columbia at home.
This game was originally scheduled for Jan. 2 but postponed due to COVID-19 concerns and safety protocols within Yale’s program.