PRINCETON, N.J. – A 12-0 run at the start of the second half fueled No. 1 Yale to an 80-60 win over No. 4 Cornell to advance to the Ivy League Tournament final Sunday.
Yale had difficulty with the Cornell press in the first half, especially without sophomore guard Bez Mbeng, who picked up two early fouls.
“[I’m] really happy how we executed,” Yale coach James Jones said.
Yale opened up a 32-23 lead in the second half and it ballooned to 52-35 on a trey by sophomore guard John Poulakidas.
Junior guard August Mahoney hit a trey to make it 70-48.
Poulakidas and Mahoney were a combined 13-for-22 from the field.
Poulakidas finished with 25 points and now had a total of 55 points in his last two Jadwin Gym appearances.
“These rims kind of like me,” Poulakidas said.
Mahoney notched 18 points.
Junior guard Chris Manon and sophomore forward Guy Ragland Jr. each had 12 points for the Big Red.
Yale coach James Jones noted his team outrebounded Cornell, 41-37, and registered 20 assists.
“That was a pretty complete game for us in terms of the way it ended with our statistics. We did a really good job on the boards,” Jones said.
Yale shot 27-for-56 (48.2%), far better than Cornell’s 22-for-66 (33.3%).
“Our offense was stagnant from time to time, but for the most part we did a really good job at trying to find a teammate and make someone better,” Jones said. “There’s a lot of joy that’s spread with the team when that happens, and it’s fun to watch and fun to see.”
“Our shooting has been a little off,” Cornell Brian Earl said. ” … It’s been interesting over the last month or two how the percentages have gone down.”
Cornell shot 29.5% from three-point range in February and March after a January during which it shot 38.1%.
“Yale played great, and they always do, and they’re tough as nails, and they probably had a lot to do with it,” Earl said. “But, you know, sometimes you have to make shots.”
Cornell finishes its season at 17-11 and Yale sits at 21-7.