There was reason for hope.
Yale had won three out of five games and lost the other two in overtime. It grabbed a 25-18 first-quarter lead over a scrappy, veteran Brown squad and was tied with the Bears at 41 at the half in their Ivy League opener at John J. Lee Amphitheater Monday.
And then reality struck.
Yale was outscored 47-31 in the second half and fell tamely, 88-72.
“They did a great job of exposing us in the post,” Yale coach Dalila Eshe said. “We let our guard down defensively and that hurt us.”
If one stat stood out, it was points in the paint. Brown (9-4, 1-0 Ivy), the leading rebounding team in the Ivy, won that battle versus Yale (4-10, 0-1), 52-26.
This was Yale’s second-highest (High Point) scoring output of the season. The Bulldogs were paced once again by sophomore guard Ciniya Moore, who had 25 points. Senior forward Kiley Capstraw had 15 points and led Yale in assists with nine.
The Bulldogs shot 45.9% from the field and lost the turnover war 19-8, 17 of which were in the final three quarters. Brown also notched nine steals.
Senior forward Alyssa Moreland had a season-high 23 points on 10-for-15 shooting and added 13 rebounds. Senior guard Grace Arnolie had 21 points and has scored in double figures all 10 games she has played in this season.
“Great to start Ivy play with a win,” Moreland said. “You can’t ask for more than everyone contributing.”
Five Bears scored in double figures.
The 88 points were the most that defensive-minded Brown has scored against a Division I opponent since November 2018.
Yale hosts Princeton on Saturday at 2 p.m., when Brown will play at Penn.