Bulldogs move to 6-5 in Ivy League

Cromwell freshman Isaiah Salafia had his best game as a collegian nailing a big 3-pointer in the extra session.



Yale needed overtime to defeat Dartmouth 79-75 on Friday night. With rival Harvard on tap Saturday, here's coach James Jones thoughts on the game:

On playing Harvard
"You've got the energy to go out and play after you get a win. Thye've got to get on a bus and drive over here so we're in good shape."

On the play of Porter Braswell:
"He's a bull. He made some good decisions down the stretch. Even the one, the last play in regulation when he tried to give Austin Morgan the shot. He's strong and he was able to finish.
"This is the best he's played in his career. He also made a big point of making others better. He had four assists. That's been really nice to see."

Inside the box score:
Greg Mangano had seven more blocks in Friday's game. He is adding to Yale single-season record with every block he gets. Mangano is up to 78 blocks for the season and is 12th in the nation in the department.

Looking ahead:
Yale hosts Harvard Saturday night at 6 p.m. It is the final home game for seniors Porter Braswell, Raffi Mantilla and Alfonso Costa.
It's also a huge game for the Crimson who lead the Ivy League by a half game.

Follow the action live

The Bulldogs host the Big Green tonight at the Lee Amphitheater. It's the final home weekend for Yale (5-5) in the league.
Dartmouth has had a rough season losing 7 in a row and 12 of its last 13. The two teams played up at Hanover, N.H. earlier in the year and Greg Mangano had 30 points and 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs in the 69-60 win.

Ready for the tip-offYale's Greg Mangano is one of the nation's leaders in rebounding and blocked shots. He's also scoring 16.3 ppg. Add a couple of digits to each of those numbers next season and Yale should contend for a league title -- and Mangano may get a juicy pro contract somewhere.

UConn in the houseFormer UConn star Ricky Moore is an assistant coach for Dartmouth. Former UConn star John Gwynn is one of the officials.

Dartmouth 9, Yale 6 (15:41)Yale is using its height advantage but right now they're missing shots. The Bulldogs also seem a little lifeless. Mangano is 1-4 from the field.
Yale 14, Dartmouth 14 (11:42)
Kreisberg has 5 for Yale and Dixon has 4 quick points for Dartmouth off the bench.

Dartmouth 23, Yale 17 (7:25)The Big Green are pushing the ball upcourt every time. Yale is holding it looking for the good shot. As usual Yale has started very slowly. They look like they'll be trying to put this game away in the second half.
About 800 in attendance now.
It's easy to see why Dartmouth isn't any good. They're defense is awful, but right now Yale is just missing open shots.

Yale 27, Dartmouth 25Yale on a 10-2 run. It hit 2 3-pointers in a row, finally. Dartmouth continues to show little on defense and could be in for a long night if tis goes cold from the field.

Dartmouth 33, Yale 32Dartmouth answered a 13-2 Yale run with a 7-2 run of its own to take a 33-32 lead into the half.
It was another disappointing first half for the Bulldogs who have made a habit of these slow starts. Against Penn, Princeton and Harvard, all very good teams they fell behind by double-figures in the first half and rallied back but fell short.
They should be able to catch tghe Big Green here but it was not a good first half.
The turnovers mounted in the latter stages of the half.
Halftime stats:
Yale outrebounding Dartmouth 20-13 but has 9 turnovers to just 3 for Dartmouth. Yale has 2 points off its bench and Coach Jones wanted a lot more there.

SECOND HALF
YALE 37, DARTMOUTH 37 (15:14)
Coach Jones is not happy this one is still up for grabs. A lot of fouls so far. They'll be shooting a lot of free throws in this half.

Yale 47, Dartmouth 44 (11:20)
Yale capped a 10-4 run and looked to be in control but Dartmouth answered with 3 straight to stay close.

Dartmouth 55, Yale 53 (7:40)Yale took a 6-point lead but the Big Green are back in front with the ball.
Austin Morgan has 4 fouls for Yale.

Dartmouth 58, Yale 57 (3:17)
Braswell going to the line for 2 FS after the break. The Big Green are in this one to the wire.

Yale 63, Dartmouth 61 (2:03)

Yale 63, Dartmouth 63 (58)
Rufful fouls out, Kreisberg shooting 2 shots when they come back from a time out. Rufful was an option down the stretch for Dartmouth. Dixon will probably shoot the big ones now.

Dartmouth 65, Yale 65 (:40)
Dartmouth has it after Dixon tied the game, missed a FS and Weeden got the rebound.
Mangano blocks a shot and Yale gets the ball but Morgan misses a 3 with 3 seconds left. Headed to OT

OVERTIME

Dartmouth 69, Yale 6Yale 72, Dartmouth 70(:58)
5 (3:04)

Yale 72, Dartmouth 70(:58)
A Salafia 3 and a hook shot by Mangano have Yale on top

Yale 72, Dartmouth 70(:37)
Yale ball as Mangano blocks another shot.
Dartmouth may or may not foul here, there's 28 on the shot clock.

Yale 73, Dartmouth 70(:26)
Salafia makes 1st free throw, one more to come after a timeout.

Yale 75, Dartmouth 73(:09)
Yale shooting 2 FS

FINAL
YALE 79, DARTMOUTH 75

The Bobcats earn No. 2 seed in NEC

Quinnipiac got 17 points and 17 rebounds from Justin Rutty to defeat Monmouth on Thursday, 64-59.

Here are Tom Moore's thoughts on the game:

Here's a preview of Yale's weekend series with Dartmouth and Harvard with a look at senior Alfonso Costa.



DARTMOUTH, HARVARD AT YALE
When: Friday vs. Dartmouth, 7 p.m.; Saturday vs. Harvard, 6 p.m.
Where: Lee Amphitheater, New Haven
Records: Yale (12-12, 5-5 Ivy); Dartmouth (5-19, 1-9); Harvard (20-4, 9-1)
Audio: www.wybc.com

KEEP AN EYE ON

Scouting Dartmouth: After beating Cornell, the Big Green has lost seven straight league games and falling into last place. They rank near the bottom in the NCAA in most offensive categories including scoring at 58.5 ppg. Yale got 30 points and 11 rebounds from Greg Mangano beating Dartmouth 69-60 at Hanover, N.H., earlier in the season.
Scouting Harvard: The Crimson play at Brown on Friday and will battle Princeton for the league title. Harvard trimmed Yale 78-75 earlier in the season at Cambridge, Mass. Harvard has won six straight to take a half-game lead over Princeton for first place in the league. Junior forward Keith Wright leads the team in rebounding and scoring and has become one of the best players in the league.
Scouting Yale: The Bulldogs were swept at home last week, losing a pair of tight contests against Princeton and Penn. Saturday will be Senior Day as Porter Braswell, Raffi Mantilla and Alfonso Costa will be honored. Braswell has had his best season at Yale averaging 11 points and 3.5 rebounds a game and has scored in double figures seven of his last eight games.

Albertus Magnus loses in the semis
Falcons coach Mitch Oliver told his team they'd have to play better defensively to defeat Johnson & Wales in the semifinals of the GNAC Tournament.
It didn't happen.
The Johnson & Wales University men’s basketball team advanced to the 2011 Great Northeast Athletic Conference Championship with a commanding 128-107 victory against Albertus Magnus in the semifinals at the Harborside Recreation Center on Thursday evening at Providence, R.I.
It marks the first time the Wildcats will be appearing in the GNAC Finals since the 2003-04 campaign when they captured the conference crown en route to the school’s only NCAA appearance.
The 128 points scored by JWU is the most scored by a team in the history of the GNAC while the 75.4% shooting percentage from the field is a new tournament record. The Wildcats had all five starters in double figures in the victory.
Johnson & Wales junior Lamonte Thomas (Providence, R.I.), the 2011 GNAC Player of the Year, scored 40 points and added a GNAC record 20 assists. Senior Louis Ferreras (Providence, R.I.) added 20 points, four rebounds and three assists while junior James Folk (Salem, N.H.) and junior Calvin Jones (Providence, R.I.) each had 18 points in the victory. Senior Darren Faust (Queens, N.Y.) rounded out the double-figure scorers with 17 points in the victory.
Albertus Magnus was led by senior Walden St. Juste (Hartford, Conn.) with 37 points and six rebounds while freshman Darius Watson (New Britain, Conn.) narrowly missed a double-double with 24 points and nine boards in the setback for the Falcons.
Johnson & Wales raced out to the early lead and led 11-3 on a layup by Jones with 16:10 left in the first half. The Wildcats took their first double-figure lead of the game when a pair of free throws by Faust gave the squad the 35-25 advantage with 8:23 remaining on the clock. Albertus responded, however and used a 13-6 run over the next four minutes to cut the lead to 41-38 on a three pointer by St. Juste with 4:39 left in the half. That would be as close as the Falcons would get as the Wildcats took the 59-55 lead into the locker room at halftime. JWU shot an astounding 74.1% from the field in the first half.
The Wildcats pushed their lead to 20 points in the early stages of the second half and led by 20 points after a three-point play by Ferreras gave the team the 97-77 lead with 9:07 left in the game. JWU would then cruise to the 128-107 victory.
With the win Johnson & Wales is now 19-8 overall while Albertus Magnus falls to 17-10 for the season. The Wildcats will return to action on Saturday, February 26th when they travel to St. Joseph’s of Maine for the GNAC Championship game at 2:00 p.m.

MEN’S BASKETBALL GAMEDAY
GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE TOURNAMENT —
ALBERTUS MAGNUS at Johnson & WalesWhere: Harborside RAC, Providence, R.I.
When: Thursday, 7 p.m.
Records: Albertus Magnus (17-9, 15-4 GNAC); Johnson & Wales (19-8, 15-4)
Scouting Johnson & Wales: The Wildcats feature Lamonte Thomas, the leading scorer in Division III averaging 30 points. Thomas, who will probably win the conference’s Player of the Year award, has led the team in scoring 14 straight games including a season-high 47 points against Lasell. He is a fantastic 3-point shooter as is the rest of the team but they are vulnerable on the backboards.
Scouting Albertus: The Falcons reached the GNAC semifinals with an easy 100-82 win over Rivier. The defending champs were led by Ray Askew with 26 points and 16 rebounds. AMC has won eight straight including an 83-69 win at Johnson & Wales on Feb. 15. The Falcons crushed the Wildcats on the boards 53-36 in that game.

MONMOUTH AT QUINNIPIAC
Where: TD Bank Sports Center
When: Today, 7 p.m.
Radio: WQUN-1220 AM
Records: Monmouth (9-19, 5-11 Northeast); Quinnipiac (19-8, 11-5)
Scouting Quinnipiac: Two more wins and the Bobcats will lock up the No. 2 seed in next week’s NEC tournament. Quinnipiac has won four straight including a gritty 68-67 win at Central Connecticut State on Saturday. Dave Johnson had a season-high 17 points in the game and James Johnson continued to hit big shots with a pair of late 3-pointers.
Scouting Monmouth: Monmouth has won four of its last nine and needs to win its last two games to earn a berth in the NEC tournament. The Hawks have been competitive in every game down the stretch. Their last five losses are by combined 13 points. Monmouth dropped a tough 62-60 decision against Robert Morris last game. The Hawks hold a 13-12 edge in the all-time series, but Quinnipiac has won seven of the last nine.

Albertus Magnus wins GNAC opener

The Falcons won their tourney opener, 100-82, over Rivier at Messer Arena.

Coach Mitch Oliver talks about the victory:



More comments from Mitch Oliver:

On the reasons behind the 8-game winning streak:
"We're definitely rebounding better. When we defend and rebound it ignites our break and no one can stop us when we're running.
"When we're walking the ball up the court we're easier to guard. Our goal is to be fast in the fullcourt and fast in the halfcourt and because we're rebounding better we've been playing fast."


On the bench play:
"I've always said that Arshard Jackson is one of our most talented guards. He can play off the dribble. He doesn't need to go between his legs 10 times to go by someone. He has the athletic ability to just go and create his own shot.
"All these kids thrive in this system. Mike Massey and Chris Cagle. They're New Haven kids. They want to play in this system. They present matchup problems. Massey can go outside. They're tough and I love having those types of kids."

Inside the box score:
Rivier shot 63 percent from the field in the second half. While the Falcons never were threatened both Oliver and Falcons' forward Rays Askew said they'll have to play much better defensively next round.

Looking ahead:
The Falcons play at Johnson & Wales on Thursday night at 7 p.m. J&W features Lamonte Thomas, the leading scorer in all of Division III. Thomas averages 30 points a game.
The two teams split a pair of games this season with both winning on the road.

Princeton holds off the Bulldogs

This could be the final straw for Yale's Ivy League title hopes. While the Bulldogs are clearly one of the best teams in the league they are 0-4 against the best of the best.
On Friday night they trimmed a 12-point deficit to three in the final minutes but ran out of time.
Princeton is 8-0 in the league and while it hasn't locked up anything yet, it leads Yale by 3 1/2 games with just five games to go.

Here's Princeton coach Sydney Johnson after the game:



Yale's Greg Mangano on the lack of backcourt scoring on Friday:Princeton guarded our backcourt tough. Those guys have been making shots all year. Everyone talks about me seeing double and triple teams but they switch off screens on those guys and when they do catch it they're out of scoring range.
It makes it hard for them to get the ball. They're denying the passes. It was tough. They played good defense. We had 10 turnovers in the first half and 18 points in the half is not going to do it.

Princeton coach Sydney Johnson on his team's NCAA hopes
"It's hard enough to just focus on winning your conference and that's going to be my focus. Winning our league is going to be hard. Our league is very, very strong: Princeton, Harvard, Pennsylvania are all playing good basketball. You can't get too locked into your conference. You watch TV and you see all those other strong conferences.
"I'm not so sure we'd get two bids in the NCAA. You have to look at the A-10 and the Big East. Can all of us deal with them, I don't know."


Inside the box score
Yale turned the ball over 10 times in the first half and trailed 30-18 at the break. Its bench also went scoreless in the game.

Looking ahead
Yale hosts Penn tonight at the Lee Amphitheater. The crowd on Friday was great but left disappointed. The Quakers held off a Yale rally at Philly earlier in the year.

Yale's Greg Mangano on the lack of backcourt scoring on Friday:
Princeton guarded our backcourt tough. Those guys have been making shots all year. Everyone talks about me seeing double and triple teams but they switch off screens on those guys and when they do catch it they're out of scoring range.
It makes it hard for them to get the ball. They're denying the passes. It was tough. They played good defense. We had 10 turnovers in the first half and 18 points in the half is not going to do it.

Almost ready to tip off.
Yale is 5-3 in the Ivy and needs to run the table to have a chance for the Ivy League title. It's possible.
They're good enough but have three very difficult games left at home.
Tonight is the first one.
Princeton enters the contest 7-0 in league play but had to hold off a furious Yale rally in the first game.

Updates to come.

Early action
Princeton is playing very tough on defense. Yale missed the first four shots only one was a bunny. Willhite breaks the ice with a jumper.
Ian Hummer was good against the Bulldogs in first game and looks active again. He's a tough matchup for Yale.
Princeton didn't start Maddux but he's in now and the Tigers are off to a 7-2 start.
Yale always starts slowly.

Princeton up 9-5 at 12 minute mark

Yale wants to run but the Tigers are quick getting back on defense. Kreisberg has been active for the Bulldogs and the place is filling up nicely. It will get loud in here if the game is tight in the second half.
Mangano got whacked in the face and is off the court while they tend to the blood.

Princeton up by 10
The Tigers are still awesome on defense. Yale will have to hit some outside shots to stay in the game. They're capable.
Mangano is still having issues with a nosebleed but he's hit his last two shots. Princeton is shooting 8 for 18 and having less trouble getting shots off.
They lead 19-9 at the 7:52 mark.

Jones looking for answers
Princeton looks dominant now. It leads 23-12 with 4:45 left. Yale got nothing from its bench and its guards have turned it over way too much. The Bulldogs backcourt continue to try to take it to the basket but the Tigers are stopping them. Yale has 8 turnovers and is 6 for 20 shooting.
Princeton is 11 for 28 shooting. They're outrebounding Yale and taking better care of the ball.
Just like the last time the two met.

It's half and it's all PrincetonThe Tigers controlled the first half from the start and lead 30-18. There isn't much to think that the second half will be much different.
Yale needs to make some 3-pointers in the second half but every shot and every possession has been contested.
The Tigers, frankly, couldn't have played any better in the first half but because they did it all with defense this is shaping up like a long night for the Bulldogs.
At the half Mangano has just one foul which is a positive but he's got off only five shots and has four points.
He also has two blocks and needs one more to set the school's all-time record breaking the one currently held by former NBA player Chris Dudley.

Princeton 30, Yale 23 with 18:13 left
Yale has the first five points of the second half and will apparently try to keep Mangano down low on defense even if his guy stays on the perimeter. It's a risky move but they've got to do something.
Mangano is getting double and triple-teamed on offense and has five points thus far.

Princeton 35, Yale 28 with 15:50 left
Mangano buried a 3-pointer but Mavraides came right back with one of his own. The Bulldogs are playing better offensively but they'll need some stops.

Princeton 43, Yale 33 with 10:56 left
Yale cut it to 6 but Mangano was hit with an intentional foul, his third, and Princeton immediately responded with a 4-0 run and has two free throw coming.
Mangano continues to be a one-man show hitting an incredible 3-pointer falling out of bounds at the shot clock. At 6-11 and hitting from the outside he could play at the next level.
He did hammer Mavraides in the jaw, a dumb foul and the Tigers have capitalized.

Princeton 45, Yale 40 with 7:38 left
Mangano had a 3-pointer spin out which would have blown the roof off the place. He had two blocks on one possession to set the school mark for career rejections.
Princeton has 2 FS coming when we get back from break and the place is alive.
But still Yale is getting nothing from its backcourt offensively.

Princeton 50, Yale 44 with 4:31 left
Morgan drives to basket for a layup to cut the lead to six. Yale needs stops and the Tigers look good at the line.
Mangano has 15 points, 12 rebounds and five blocks. He's also got 5 turnovers which hasn't helped.

Princeton 52, Yale 47 with 2:22 left
Willhite's steal and jam cuts it to 5. Yale had its last shot blocked or it would be 3.
Morgan fouled out on the next possession. That hurts and Mavraides will shoot 2 FS.

Final: Princeton 58, Yale 51
Of course my computer locked up down the stretch. Unfortunately the Bulldogs' defense didn't do the same.
After Willhite's big jams Kareem Maddux made a three-point play with 1:21 to play and that put the game away. Yale squandered a couple of possessions down the stretch but never got closer than three points.

Yale hosts pair

Yale hosts Princeton on Friday. The game can be seen on the YES network.
Yale then hosts Penn on Saturday. Both games start at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs lost to both teams in identical fashion earlier in the month.
Both games were on the road and Yale trailed badly in the first half before mounting big rallies that fell short.
Here's a capsule outlook on the matchups.

Yale's Jeremiah Kreisberg talks about this weekend's games.




PRINCETON, PENN AT YALE
Where: Lee Amphitheater, New Haven

When: Friday vs. Princeton 7. p.m. (YES); Saturday vs. Penn, 7 p.m
Audio: wybc.com.

Records (entering weekend): Yale (12-10, 5-3 Ivy); Princeton (19-4, 7-0); Penn (9-12, 3-4)

Scouting Yale: The Bulldogs enter the crucial weekend series in third place in the Ivy League and clearly need to sweep to stay in the race. Yale is 4-0 at home in league play but has lost at Princeton, Penn and Harvard on the road. All were tight contests. Greg Mangano continues to shine. He leads the league in rebounding (9.7 rpg.) and blocks (2.9 per game) and shares the lead in scoring (16.0 ppg.). His 64 blocks on the season are three shy of Chris Dudley's school record set in 1986-87. Nationally, Mangano is 15th in blocks and 29th in rebounding.
Scouting Princeton: Princeton is one of two league-undefeated teams in Division I men's basketball, alongside Texas (23-3, 11-0 Big 12). The Tigers are 7-0 in Ivy play for the first time since 1999. Princeton leads the league as a team in scoring defense (63.1 ppg), in field goal percentage (.472), in field goal percentage defense (.415), in 3-point field goal percentage (.376) and in 3-point field goal percentage defense (.327). The Tigers have four players averging double figures in scoring, led by Ian Hummer (14.0 ppg.).
Scouting Penn: Ivy League play has proven to be heartbreaking for the Quakers. Penn lost three straight league games in overtime, including a double overtime 83-82 decision to Harvard. Four players average double figures in scoring, led by Zack Rosen (14.5 ppg.). Rosen was a unanimous first team All-Ivy selection last year. Jack Eggleton (14.4 ppg., 8.1 rpg.) is sixth in the league in scoring and third in rebounding. Eggleston (38.3) and Rosen (36.9) are first and second in the league in minutes played. Penn plays at Brown on Friday night.


Quinnipiac wallops Bryant
The Bobcats defeated Bryant 80-60 on Thursday night.

James Johnson scored a game-high 24 points and nailed seven three-pointers. Justin Rutty added his Quinnipiac Division I record 38th double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds to push the Bobcats to 18-8 (10-5 NEC). The loss drops the Bulldogs to 9-18 (7-8 NEC).

The seven three-pointers tie Johnson’s season high, also established Dec. 22 at Niagara and Jan. 27 against Robert Morris. Deontay Twyman (Olney, Md.) added 13 points, including 11 in the first half, for the Bobcats. The Bobcats shot 52.5 percent (31-59) from the floor, their second-best shooting performance of the year. Led by Johnson’s seven three-pointers, Quinnipiac shot 47.6 percent (10-21) from long range. The Bobcats also made 8-of-10 free-throw attempts. The Bobcats outrebounded Bryant, 38-26.

The Bobcats return to action Saturday, when they travel to intrastate NEC rival Central Connecticut. Opening tip is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. at Detrick Gym.

LSU Fico's throws perfect game
Oxford's Rachele Fico tossed the third perfect game in program history as the No. 18 LSU softball team raced its way to a dominant 9-0 five-inning victory over Southeastern Louisiana Wednesday in-front of 1,011 fans at Tiger Park.

“Rachele was magnificent tonight,” head coach Yvette Girouard said. “She played great defense and certainly was the deciding factor in tonight’s game. Offensively, the speed factor wasn’t as noticeable tonight, but the power game sure did show up. We hit the ball hard, and the intensity was magnificent. It’s a team that really enjoys coming out here and playing softball. It was the first time we had worn this uniform combination [gold jerseys and purple pants], and we might have to do it again.”

Fico sat down all 15 batters she faced, seven via the strikeout. A ball didn’t leave the infield as the sophomore right-hander joined Tiffany Garcia [Grambling State, 02/15/06] along with a combined effort from Britni Sneed and Sarah Meadors [Tennessee, 03/18/01] as the only perfect gems in Tiger history.

Southeastern Louisiana’s (3-3) best opportunity for a hit came with one out during the fifth inning, but Fico snagged the line drive off the bat of Megan McCollum. Four pitches later, Fico mowed down Lauren Coniglio to secure her place in the LSU record book.

“Being in this atmosphere, surrounded by my teammates, it’s just a great day to be a Tiger,” Fico said. “I love it here. My teammates mean the world to me and it amazes me that I was able to accomplish something like that with my teammates behind me.”

Quinnipiac defeated Sacred Heart 55-48 Monday at the Pitt Center.


James Johnson hit a pair of big 3-pointers to propel the Bobcats to the win.




Here are some thoughts by Coach Tom Moore:

Mangano Ivy's League Player of the Week
Greg Mangano, who scored a career-high 30 points in Yale’s 69-60 victory over Dartmouth on Saturday, has been named the Ivy League Player of the Week. In two games over the weekend, Mangano averaged 24.5 points and shot 60 percent from the field. It was the fourth time this season he has been recognized by the league. He shared this week’s honor with Harvard’s Keith Wright.
Against the Big Green, Mangano was 11-of-19 from the field and grabbed 11 rebounds to post his eighth double-double of the season. His 30 points were the most by a Yale player since Alex Zampier scored 31 against Harvard last February.
The night before, Mangano scored 19 points, grabbed four rebounds and had three blocks against Harvard, despite being limited to 24 minutes because of foul trouble. He was 7-of-11 from the field against the Crimson, including 3-for-4 from three-point range.
Mangano currently leads the league in rebounding (9.7 rpg.) and blocks (2.9 per game) and shares the lead in scoring (16.0 ppg.). His 64 blocks on the season are three shy of Chris Dudley’s school record set in 1986-87.
Mangano is an Orange, Conn., native and is a graduate of Notre Dame-West Haven High School.
The Bulldogs are back in action this weekend, hosting Princeton on Friday and Penn on Saturday. Both games begin at 7 p.m.

Azotam Earns Second Rookie of the Week Award
Quinnipiac University men’s basketball freshman forward Ike Azotam was named the Northeast Conference Rookie of the Week. Azotam posted career highs of 16 points and 13 rebounds in the Bobcats’ 59-54 victory against Sacred Heart Wednesday.
Azotam is now a two-time winner. He shot 7-for-10 from the floor and was 2-for-3 from the line, including a key free throw with 34 seconds to play that gave the Bobcats a two-point edge. Of his 13 boards, seven came on the offensive glass which is the seventh-highest single-game total in the league this season.
The double-double was Azotam’s second of the year and lifted his season averages to 5.1 ppg and 5.7 rpg. Azotam ranks second among all NEC freshman in rebounding and is 12th overall.

Yale's Graf top rookie again
Janna Graf led Yale to an Ivy League sweep of Harvard, then an unbeaten 5-0 in Ivy play, and Dartmouth, earning her fourth Rookie of the Week award of the 2010-11 season.
Graf was the catalyst in both wins, and she saved her best play for the second half, when it mattered most in both games. In the win over Harvard, Graf recorded 20-plus points for the third time this season. She scored 12 of her game-high 21 points in the second half, going 6-for-8 from the floor in that 20-minute span.
She also finished with a career-high seven assists, besting her previous high of two, recorded five times this season. In the win over Dartmouth, Graf scored 15 points, her ninth double-digit performance of the season. Again, she saved her best for the final 20 minutes, scoring 10 of her 15 points in the second half to help Yale pull away from Dartmouth. She scored seven of those points in the first 4:34 of
the half to help Yale open up a 13-point lead that effectively put the game out of reach.

The Yale women's basketball team defeated Harvard 82-71 Friday night at the Lee Amphitheater.



Coach Chris Gobrecht
On Yale's dominant first half:
"I was really happy with us offensively and I was happy with our defense in the first half. The energy we came out with defensively in the first half was what set the tone.
"They're a heck of an offensive team. When we were playing with that energy they were having a hard time getting into a rhythm. We got a little soft in the second half and they got their rhythm."

On Yale's talent level:
"We can play with anybody in the league. The league's a lot tighter. Top to bottom it's much better. There's been three teams in this league that have already played Harvard tough and they could have lost any of those games."

On taking control of the game with Mady Gobrecht in foul trouble:
"You wish you could bottle this game up. Everybody helped. They were focused and hopefully we figured some things out but (Saturday's) going to be tough."


Inside the box score:
Yale shot 56 percent from the field for the game. The Bulldogs held high-scoring Harvard to 19 points in the first half on 9 for 28 shooting. And even when Harvard caught fire offensively in the second half the Bulldogs answered with more offense of its own.

Looking ahead:
Yale plays host to Dartmouth Saturday at 7. The Big Green are off to a 1-5 start.

Quinnipiac used a 16-2 run in the second half to rally past Sacred Heart 59-54 Wednesday night at the TD Bank Sports Center.

Quinnipiac coach Tom Moore on his team’s struggles to score:
“We had some lineups out there where we looked like the walking wounded. We were offensively challenged – certainly.
“Offensively there were times that we were searching. They did a great job in the zone and we forced some things. We got a little nervous and there were stretches that we were trying to make a three-point play on offense.
“The offensive execution falls on me. That’s something we have to get a lot better at.”

Sacred Heart coach Dave Bike on his team’s tough stretch in the second half:
“At one point we had to call timeout to remind them to rebound. We were ahead 48-46 and they missed a shot and got the rebound and hit a 3-pointer. If we got the rebound we’d be ahead by two and I had to remind them of that.
“We did it in a lot of games but now we’re not doing it.”

Sacred Heart coach Dave Bike on his team’s hopes of making the NEC tournament:
“We’re just worrying about playing good whether it’s the first game of the year or the last. I just want to walk out of a place and say that we played harder than the other team.”

Beyond the box score:
James Johnson was 0 for 7 from 3-point range on Wednesday night. It was the third time this season he has gone without a 3-pointer in a game. Johnson entered the shooting 37 percent from 3-point range and was fourth in the NEC with 58 3-pointers made.

Injury report:
Quinnipiac freshmen Tevin Baskin sat out Wednesday’s game with a hand injury and Dominique Langston missed the game with a concussion.
Moore said that Baskin’s injury has gotten worse and didn’t know when either player would be back with the team.

Looking ahead:
The Bobcats have five games left in the regular season. They play at Sacred Heart on Monday (MSG). Quinnipiac finishes its season with a pair of games at home.
The Bobcats could run the table and finish 13-5 in the conference but it still may not be enough to win the NEC regular-season title.
Long Island leads the NEC at 11-2. It has a demanding stretch of games ahead but should be able to hold off the Bobcats.

Want to see some amazing trick shots from a football quarterback?

Check out UConn's reserve Johnny McEntee.

Vieira's No 20 to be retired Saturday
University of New Haven Department of Athletics will retire the second number in the history of Charger Athletics on Saturday as Charger baseball legend and former coach Frank "Porky" Vieira's No. 20 will join Gary Liberatore's No. 45 in the rafters of Charger Gymnasium. The official ceremony will take place during the halftime of the UNH men's basketball game against Le Moyne on February 12.
Vieira, the father of UNH baseball, wore the No. 20 in the dugout for 45 seasons dating back to 1962. He posted a record of 1,134-329-6, including a string of 43-straight winning seasons and 44 winning seasons overall.
The legend was inducted into the UNH Athletics Hall of Fame at the 2009 induction ceremony. The retiring of the No. 20 was also announced at the ceremony.
The basketball game starts on February 12 starts at 1:30 p.m. at Charger Gymnasium. After the ceremony and unveiling of Coach Vieira's retired No. 20, a reception will follow on UNH's North Campus. All are welcome to attend, but are asked to RSVP by Friday, February 4 to head coach Raphael Cerrato at 203-932-7468 or at rcerrato@newhaven.edu.

Wallingford's Drescher sets mark
Wheelock College junior Kayla Drescher (who played at Sheehan) helped the team win its only game last week, 52-38 over Bay Path College on Thursday in a New England Collegiate Conference (NECC) contest.
Drescher set a school record with five blocks in the game while adding eight rebounds and a career-high six steals. In her second season of college basketball, Drescher has turned in career highs of 8.1 rebounds and 6.5 points per game, as well as 38 steals, 34 assists and 16 blocks. Drescher is already fourth in program history in career blocks (24) and eighth in rebounds (237), and her 138 boards this winter are tied for eighth in school annals.

SCSU baseball ranked
The Southern Connecticut State baseball team is ranked No. 23 in the National Collegiate Baseball Writers Association national preseason poll. The Owls were ranked No. 15 in the 2011 College Baseball Lineup preseason poll and No. 30 in the Collegiate Baseball preseason poll.

All that Chazz
Senior Chazz McCarter of the Southern men’s basketball team has been named to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll. McCarter averaged 17.5 points and 8.5 rebounds in the Owls two outings last week.
McCarter scored a career-high 24 points and led the team with eight rebounds en route to a, 75-57 win at New Haven on Feb. 5. He also just missed out on a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds in the game at Le Moyne.

After watching four basketball games I have some observations for some area basketball teams.

The first game on the docket was my son's travel team. Caden, my 10 year old, lost something like 21-12. Caden's a good ballplayer but he's in a shooting slump. I think he was something like 0 for 10 in the game.
Of course, I was upset after the game but when I look back at it they were good shots.
And then I heard that Jimmer Fredette was struggling for BYU. Fredette ended up going 16 for 16 from the free throw line to bail him out. Caden was 0 for 2.

Ouch.

Speaking of Ouch.
Quinnipiac lost its men's game down at Long Island. That loss will most likely win the Blackbirds the regular season title in the NEC.
Sure they have a lot of work to do but when the season started I felt it was either Quinnipiac or LIU that would win the title and when Justin Rutty went down it was too much for the Bobcats to catch LIU in the regular season.
They still have the postseason ahead and no one's going to want to see Quinnipiac, even if they're the hosts.

City rivals
My second and third games were at Charger Gymnasium where Southern Connecticut swept a doubleheader from New Haven in men's and women's action.
The SCSU women have won three straight and actually look pretty good. They have to keep winning to earn a postseason berth. They're going to need some scoring from the perimeter.
The UNH women have too many injuries to be competitive right now. They've lost 16 in a row and need plenty of work in the offseason to get back in the fray.

Southern defeated New Haven in the men's game. It was clearly a battle of two teams heading in the right direction. I talked to SCSU coach Mike Donnelly after the game and he knows that his counterpart at New Haven Ted Hotaling is doing a great job also. The city should be proud of these two teams which have tried hard to come back and be top players in the NE-10.
I think they'll both make it soon.
Southern has more talent right now and New Haven lacks height. Robert Jamerson does all he can down low but he can't do it all.
Chazz McCarter and Greg Langston are the real deal for SCSU and Trevon Hamlet is a keeper.

Off to Yale
For two straight nights the Bulldogs men's team played inspired and exciting contests posting Ivy League wins.
Coach James Jones knows that Yale has to play nearly perfect to beat good teams on the road. They have a big one on Friday when they play at Harvard.
Yale has one of the best starting five's around. Greg Mangano is a treat to watch at center and their guards are exceptional.
But there's always a big BUT. Yale has to win at Harvard and probably win every game at home the rest of the way. It is 4-2 in the league and will most likely have to finish 11-3 to win the league.
That's a tough road to hoe but it could get interesting.

Now I've got to get back to shooting with Caden.

Yale coach James Jones said Friday's come-from-behind win reminded him of a game against George Washington several years ago when his team trailed by 10 points with a minute left in overtime.
Yale missed a 3-pointer at the buzzer in that game and the Colonials went on to the win.
They didn't need overtime on Friday and came out with a remarkable win against Cornell 71-70.
Yale trailed by 10 points with 1:58 remaining but Jones still had a sense of belief.
“I said to myself, “Self, we’re going to win this game,’” Jones said. “I’m not going to know how it’s going to happen, but I swear I said it to myself but we did, and I still don’t know it happened.”
A couple of minutes later the silence grew into a roar as Austin Morgan’s three-point play with 12 seconds left capped a memorable comeback and Yale defeated Cornell 71-70 at the Lee Amphitheater.
“It’s one of those miracles that you witness and you’re happy to be a part of,” Jones said. Porter Braswell scored 18 points and Morgan had 17 including seven in the last 1:15 as Yale finished the game on a 10-2 run. The Bulldogs improved to 10-9 overall and 3-2 in the league.
Cornell led 68-61 after a pair of free throws by Errick Peck but Braswell hit a 3-pointer and after Chris Wroblewski hit a pair of free throws Morgan began driving to the basket at will.
He hit two free throws to cut the deficit to 70-66 with 50 seconds left. After Peck missed a pair of free throws Greg Mangano scored on a putback to close the gap to two points. Mangano then deflected a Cornell pass at midcourt with 16 seconds left giving Yale possession and setting up Morgan’s game-winning drive to the basket.
Morgan drove through traffic, made the shot, and was fouled by Miles Asafo-Adjei. Morgan hit the free throw to give Yale the lead. Peck then had a shot by Reggie Willhite with 4 seconds left. Cornell got the ball back but threw away the inbounds pass.
Still the game wasn’t over.
Braswell was fouled with 1.7 seconds left and missed both free throws and Peck grabbed the rebound but his heave from 70 feet away fell short sending the Yale bench into mayhem.
“It’s huge,” Jones said. “You don’t want to go to 2-3.”
Said Morgan: “Basketball’s a funny game. Our coaches always say to keep playing because you never know what’s going to happen. You never want to lose at home and fortunately we got some bounces and got this thing done.”
Cornell (4-15, 0-5) which has won the last three Ivy League titles has now lost nine games by seven points or less. Friday they looked listless in the opening minutes of the game but then played with desperation and pride the rest of the way.
“I told the team in the locker room that Cornell deserved to win,” Jones said. “They frustrated us and took us out of rhythm. But I’m happy to be on the winning side.”
The Big Red got a major jolt of emotion from backup center Eitan Chemerinski who grabbed five rebounds on one possession.
Trailing 20-9, Chemerinski got inside for a layup but was blocked three times. All three times he got his own rebound and missed the follow up. Chemerinski then grabbed the loose ball and attempted three more layups. He finally hit the last one and was fouled and turned it into a three-point play.
The Cornell bench erupted after the series and the Big Red then hit their next three 3-pointers to get back into the game.
Yale again built a 30-23 lead following a powerhouse jam by Reggie Willhite but Cornell responded with an 11-0 run and took a stunning 36-32 lead into the break.
Yale turned the ball over 10 times in the first half and despite shooting 52 percent was trailing at the half for the third straight game.
“You wonder why we were losing and that’s it,” Jones said. “We turned the ball over 18 times. We shot 49 percent and we were losing.”
Cornell got 18 points from Drew Ferry and 16 from Peck.

After you're done watching Anderson Cooper getting attacked, get ready for a busy weekend of area college sports.

The University of New Haven will host a men's and women's basketball doubleheader beginning at 1 p.m. on Saturday. Southern won the women's contest earlier in the season while the Chargers won the men's game.
Both should be close contests.

The Quinnipiac men's basketball team begins a crucial weekend set tonight at St. Francis-New York on the road. The Bobcats then play at Northeast Conference leaders Long Island.
If the Bobcats sweep the pair of games they will have a legitimate shot to win the NEC title once again and earn the right to host every game it plays in the postseason NEC tournament.
The schedule gets a bit easier for Quinnipiac after this weekend.

The Yale men's basketball team needs to go on a long winning streak if it's going to contend for the Ivy League title. Yale was swept on the road last week leaving it 2-2 in the league.
The Bulldogs host Cornell and Columbia this weekend. Again, both games should be close but the Bulldogs will be favored in both.

On the women's side, the Quinnipiac women's team lost both games last weekend in a showdown of the top three teams in the NEC.
That leaves Quinnipiac battling at 7-3 in the conference to remain on the top half of the conference standings in order to host at least one tournament game.

The Yale women's team suffered its first league loss of the season last time out, falling to Princeton 52-37. Still, Yale is in good shape after starting the season 3-0 in the Ancient Eight.
While the men's team plays host to Cornell and Columbia over the weekend, the women's team will play both squads on the road.

The Syracuse men's basketball team arrived at Storrs for Wednesday night's game. The team traveled early to avoid the storm as it looks like they never would have made it tomorrow.
Expect the game to be played as scheduled.

Quinnipiac Baseball Signs Four To National Letters of Intent

Quinnipiac baseball head coach Dan Gooley has announcing the singing of Vin Guglietti (East Haven, Conn.), Alex Pernick (Marsten Mills, Mass.), Matthew Lorenzetti (Marlboro, N.J.) and Scott Donaghue (Marlboro, N.J.) to national letters of intent.
Guglietti is a local standout from nearby East Haven High where he was a 2010 All-Southern Connecticut Conference selection before being tabbed for the New Haven Register All-State and All-Area teams. As a junior, the 6-4, 225 lbs. first baseman batted .486 with four home runs and 29 runs batted in while also posting a 2-0 record on the mound.
Pernick comes to Quinnipiac from Barnstable (Mass.) High School where he was a Old Colony League First Team All Star, in addition to be named to the Boston Globe and Boston Herald All-Scholastic First Teams. Last season, Pernick batted .436 (27-62) with a home run, six doubles and seven stolen bases.
Gooley also signed a pair of teammates from Marlboro (N.J.) High School in Lorenzetti and Donaghue. Lorenzetti is a 6-0, 180 lbs. right-handed pitcher who posted a 5-1 record as a junior on his way to being named to the Freehold Regional High School All-District and All-Division teams. In 38 innings pitched, Lorenzetti allowed just 10 earned runs while scattering 30 hits. He also struck out 30 while walking seven.
Donaghue is a 5-11, 170 lbs. third baseman who will likely move to second base or shortstop. As a junior, Donaghue batted .350 (20-65) with six doubles, two triples, one home run and 22 runs batted in.