Yale came close to playing the perfect first stanza en route to a convincing 86-64 road win over Stony Brook Wednesday evening.
Yale (3-3) held a 48-28 lead at the half. The Bulldogs were 8-for-13 from three and held a 22-16 rebounding edge. They outscored Stony Brook (2-3) in the paint, 16-8.
Senior guard John Poulakidas, the game’s leading scorer, had 15 points at halftime and hit his first six shots.
Junior forward Nick Townsend was 5-for-8 and added 13 points.
Yale opened the game on a 22-4 run, capped off by a Poulakidas trey. A senior guard Bez Mbeng trey made it 35-8.
A 15-5 Stony Brook run made it 42-27. The hosts would get no closer.
“Really good team victory tonight, felt like we played Yale basketball,” coach James Jones said.
Yale outrebounded the Seawolves, 44-31.
Poulakidas finished with 22 points.
“John was able to get a few easy baskets and then was able to make some tough looks,” Jones said.
Townsend registered 18 points and a team-high nine rebounds.
“[This is the] second year in a row Nick played lights out versus Stony Brook,” Jones said.
Yale defeated the Seawolves 79-71 last season.
Senior guard Joe Octave posted 18 points for Stony Brook Wednesday.
Yale is next in action on Saturday at Mohegan Sun Arena in the Naismith Basketball Hall of Fame Tip-Off against Fairfield.