It was the Nick Townsend show at John J. Lee Amphitheater Wednesday night, as the sophomore forward posted a career-high 22 points and 15 rebounds to lead Yale men’s basketball to a 79-71 win over Stony Brook (2-4), in a rare out-of-conference home game.
Yale (5-3) trailed 29-28 with less than five minutes to play in the first half but were kept in the game up to that point in part by a burst of offense from junior guard Bez Mbeng (10 points) before charging ahead to grab a 41-35 halftime lead. Yale was outrebounded 18-17 at the half after being decimated on the boards in a loss at Rhode Island Sunday.
Yale came out hot on both ends of the floor in the second half and led by as many as 11 to secure the win over Stony Brook (2-4).
Mbeng was a defensive stalwart in the second half, and Townsend seemed to play like a man possessed in the paint.
Yale outrebounded the Seawolves 25-16 in the second stanza.
“Nick was tremendous,” Yale coach James Jones said. “He hadn’t played up to how he is capable of playing. He is a tremendous player, a workhorse.”
“It was an important team win,” Townsend said. “We needed to get back into the win column.”
Jones was concerned about his team’s defense entering the game.
“We should be as good as last year,” Jones said after the win. “We just aren’t yet.”
Yale’s offense was more fluid than it had been in the last three games. Jones’ squad registered 17 fastbreak points, fueled by 10 steals and 16 assists.
Former Cornell standout Dean Noll notched 16 points, 13 of them in the first half, for Stony Brook.
Yale is next in action Saturday at 7 p.m. on the road against a hot 6-2 Vermont team. Yale is currently 13th in the College Insider Mid-Major Top 25, while the Catamounts sit at No. 19.