Tip of the hat to the graduated John Poulakidas and Bez Mbeng. BUt Nick Townsend and Riley Fox are now Yale men’s basketball’s leaders, and the rest of the Ivy League should be warned that the Bulldogs are still the team to beat after their 97-68 road trouncing of Navy to open their 2025-26 campaign.
Yale was down 18-9 near the midway point of the first half and junior center Samson Aletan was on the bench with two fouls. But Townsend, the captain and senior forward went on a tear, scored 18 first half points on 6-for-9 shooting, and Yale cruised to a 46-33 halftime lead.
The visitors won going away in the Veterans Classic in Annapolis. The 97 points were the most ever in Classic history.
“I try to take what the defense gives me,” Townsend told CBS Sports Network at the half.
Navy didn’t score for the last 7:30 of the first stanza.
Yale opened up the second half on a 14-0 run (60-33), forcing first-year Navy coach Jon Perry to move to an uncharacteristic zone.
A 20-2 run made it 66-35.
Perry likes to run and run even more, but Yale’s defense took Navy out of its rhythm and forced the Middies into 19 turnovers. Yale had 30 points off of Navy turnovers.
Fox finished with a game- and career-high 24 points off the bench, on 8-for-13 shooting. Townsend ended up with 22 and a game-high nine rebounds.
Aletan registered five blocks.
Junior guard Trevor Mullin pitched in 14 points and a team-high six assists.
“I liked our toughness. We got down early and battled back,” Yale coach James Jones said.
The preseason Patriot League Player of the Year, senor guard Austin Benigni, was held to 14 points on 3-for-8 shooting. He averaged 18.8 points per game last season.
Jones won his 17th straight game against a Patriot League squad.
The Bulldogs are back in action at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday at MAAC preseason favorite Quinnipiac.