Yale men’s basketball overcame a subpar game from its leading scorer on the season, senior forward Nick Townsend, and a slow first-half start to defeat Brown 70-53 in Providence Monday night.
Yale (12-2, 1-0 Ivy) entered the game seventh in the country in offensive efficiency. Brown (6-8, 0-1) had the Ivy League’s stingiest defensive team. Something had to give.
Brown opened up an early 14-8 lead on a sophomore forward David Rochester layup. A junior N’famara Dabo dunk made it 19-11.
Junior guard Trevor Mullin hit a mid-range jumper to cut the Brown lead to 27-23.
Brown carried a 30-29 first-half lead into the locker room. Townsend was held to three first-half points. Mullin kept the Bulldogs in the game with nine points on 4-for-7 shooting.
Yale came out in the second half with increased intensity and took a 41-33 lead on a 12-3 run, in which Brown was 1-for-10 from the field in that stretch.
A sophomore guard Riley Fox jumper made it 58-42, and Yale never looked back. Fox tallied 18 points off the bench in only 22 minutes. He was 8-for-11 from the field.
“My teammates get me open shots,” said Fox. “I just have to make them.”
“Riley is a really good player,” coach James Jones said. “We are lucky to have him.”
Townsend finished with 10 points and a game-high 10 rebounds.
Senior forward Landon Lewis led Brown with 16 points.
Yale has led the Ivy from the charity stripe but was only 12-for-20. The Bulldogs had 32 points in the paint. The Bears had 24.
The Bulldogs travel to Princeton for a 2 p.m. Saturday tilt. Brown plays at Penn in the same time slot.