The Ivy League has partnered with NeuLion, Inc. to create the conference’s first-ever digital sports network.  Available to subscribers in August, The Ivy League Digital Network will be accessible on multiple devices, including PCs, smartphones and tablets, allowing for an all-new nine (9)-channel network of Ivy League action anytime, anywhere. Each of the conference's eight (8) schools will have their own individual channel and the Ivy League will have its own League-wide channel featuring all available digital content across the conference. The new network, powered by the NeuLion College Platform, will provide live and on-demand video and audio content from each school with interactive touch points that will consistently offer a personalized experience for Ivy League fans everywhere.   "It's not just about streaming video," said Chris Wagner, EVP and Co-Founder of NeuLion. "It's about the fan experience, the high quality video on any device, and the interaction with the game or match which includes stats, social media and more. The NeuLion College Platform is designed for all of that, each and every time, no matter where Ivy League fans are."

This surprising story, which also may mean discipline for Harvard football players comes from SI.com

Kyle Casey

Harvard senior co-captain Kyle Casey plans to withdraw from school and is likely to miss the entire 2012-13 season after being implicated in a widespread academic cheating scandal, multiple sources told SI.com. With Harvard's fall registration deadline looming Tuesday, Casey faced the decision of whether to withdraw in order to attempt to preserve his final year of eligibility.

On Aug. 30, Harvard College announced in a letter that its administrative board was investigating allegations that approximately 125 undergraduates "may have committed acts of academic dishonesty, ranging from inappropriate collaboration to outright plagiarism, on a take-home final exam." The exam was for Government 1310: Introduction to Congress, a spring 2012 class with an enrollment of 279. Sources said that Casey and at least one other men's basketball player are among a group of athletes and non-athletes whose cases are pending review. The first-team all-Ivy League forward is facing a charge of academic dishonesty that could carry a one-year suspension from school.

Neither Harvard coach Tommy Amaker nor Casey returned calls or messages from SI requesting comment on Monday night. According to sources, Casey had the option of enrolling for the fall 2012 semester and fighting the allegations, but risked losing his final season of Ivy League eligibility if the administrative board did not rule in his favor. By withdrawing for two semesters, Casey is leaving the door open for re-admission to Harvard -- and a return to the basketball team -- in 2013-14 once his case is settled. This March, with Casey averaging a team-high 11.4 points per game, the Amaker-led Crimson won their first-ever Ivy League title and reached their first NCAA tournament since 1946.

In an Aug. 31 story in the New York Times, Harvard's dean of undergraduate education, Jay Harris, said that the alleged cheating scandal is "unprecedented in its scope and magnitude." The Harvard Crimson reported this week that the school's football team was bracing for potential lineup changes due to players being implicated in the scandal.
Harvard, which has won at least 20 games in each of Amaker's past three seasons -- including a 26-5 record in 2011-12 -- is the early favorite to repeat as Ivy League champion next season. Casey, a former two-star recruit from Medway, Mass., who also considered attending Stanford and Vanderbilt, was the Crimson's top returning scorer and rebounder, but it appears that his college career has been put on hold.



Read more: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2012/basketball/ncaa/09/10/harvard-casey/index.html#ixzz269unPPCu

THE IVY LEAGUE ANNOUNCES ITS 2012 FOOTBALL TELEVISION SCHEDULE
NEW YORK and PRINCETON, N.J. -- Ivy League football will return to the national spotlight this fall with seven games to be televised on the NBC Sports Network and one game to be aired on the CBS Sports Network. The eight-game package comes on the heels of the Ivy League and the NBC Sports Group announcing a two-year renewal of their national television rights agreement for football, men's basketball and men's lacrosse games last month.
The Ivy League's seven games on the NBC Sports Network are part of NBC Sports' combined coverage to televise 32 college football games during the 2012 season. The first Ivy telecasts air on the NBC Sports Network on Saturday, Sept. 22, when Cornell hosts Yale at 1 p.m. ET followed by defending champion Harvard at Brown at 4:30 p.m. ET.
The League will also have a presence on the CBS Sports Network with the Bucknell at Harvard game on Saturday, Oct. 13, slated for a 3:30 p.m. kickoff.
NBC Sports' college football studio team of Liam McHugh, Doug Flutie and Hines Ward will provide pre- and post-game coverage on NBC and/or NBC Sports Network every Saturday of the college football season. Game commentators will be announced closer to the start of the season.
The NBC Sports Network, previously branded as VERSUS, has televised 17 Ivy League football matchups featuring all eight schools over the past four seasons.

2012 IVY LEAGUE FOOTBALL TELEVISION SCHEDULE
Schedule subject to change; all times ET

Saturday, Sept. 22
Yale at Cornell, 1 pm
NBC Sports Network

Saturday, Sept. 22
Harvard at Brown, 4:30 pm
NBC Sports Network

Saturday, Sept. 29
Penn at Dartmouth, Noon
NBC Sports Network

Saturday, Oct. 13
Brown at Princeton, Noon
NBC Sports Network

Saturday, Oct. 13
Bucknell at Harvard, 3:30 pm
CBS Sports Network

Saturday, Oct. 20
Penn at Yale, Noon
NBC Sports Network

Saturday, Nov. 10
Harvard at Penn, Noon
NBC Sports Network

Saturday, Nov. 17
Yale at Harvard, Noon
NBC Sports Network

NEW HAVEN – Sam Martin, one of Yale’s top three-point shooters, has been elected captain of the 2012-13 Yale men’s basketball team. The announcement came at Wednesday night’s post-season banquet following a team vote.
“I’m honored and humbled to be elected captain of the team,” said Martin, a West Warwick, R.I., native. “Being a captain at Yale is becoming part of a long tradition, and I feel very fortunate to be included in it.”

Martin has played in 70 games in his career. As a junior this year, he came off the bench in all 29 games and tied for sixth on the team with 12 three-pointers. His top performance came against Lyndon State when he was 6-of-8 from the field, including 5-of-7 from three-point range, en route to scoring a career-high 17 points.
“Sam is a vocal leader who will do a tremendous job of keeping everyone on the same page,” said coach James Jones.
Martin will be one of three seniors on next year’s roster – joining Michael Grace and Austin Morgan.
“Austin and Mike will be the most important determining factor of whether I am a good captain or not,” Martin said. “I can’t do it without them, and they know that. The more leaders we have on our team the better. I think every returning player should look to lead in some way because that is the only way we will win a championship.”
Martin inherits the captaincy from his close friend and roommate Reggie Willhite.
“I have learned so much from Reggie,” Martin said. “The biggest thing he has taught me about leading is that you have to live what you preach. You can’t yell at guys for not working hard if you aren’t. Reggie is definitely a lead-by-example kind of guy and I really admire and respect that about him.”
The Bulldogs will return two starters and nine letterwinners next season. Yale won 19 games in 2011-12 and reached the postseason for only the fifth time in school history, falling to Fairfield in the first round of the CollegeInsider.com Tournament.

Yale ran its winning streak to six games in men's lacrosse with an 11-10 win over Bryant in a non-conference game at Reeese Stadium.

Here's Matt Gibson on his game-winning goal:


Here are some game highlights:

Yale coach James Jones has been pushing for a postseason tournament in the Ivy League for some time now. Now he thinks the league is seriously debating the idea. Currently the Ivy League has only one postseason tournament, that being in men's lacrosse.

The proposal for an Ivy League basketball tournament with the winner getting the automatic bid to the NCAA would include the top four finishers only. Here is a story about the proposal.

In the end it was a rough night for the Yale men's basketball team.
The Bulldogs entered Friday night needing to sweep its weekend series with Princeton and Penn to have a chance at the Ivy League title.
It also needed Harvard to lose at Columbia and Penn to lose against Brown.
For a while, in the second half of all three games the scenario seemed possible. Yale was tied while Harvard and Penn were both losing.
But in the end it all fell apart. Yale's Greg Mangano had a tough shooting night and the Bulldogs fell at Princeton. Penn pulled away from a stubborn Brown team and Harvard won in overtime at Columbia.
While those results set up a frantic finish in the league, Yale won't be a part of the title race.
With four losses the Bulldogs were eliminated and on Saturday, Harvard will be rooting for Yale.
If Yale beats Penn and Harvard wins at Cornell, the Crimson will finally go back to the NCAA tournament. It's been over 50 years.
Here are some of the recaps. Harvard
Yale
Penn

Men’s basketball gamedays
YALE AT PRINCETON, PENN
Today at Jadwin Gymnasium, Princeton, N.J., 7 p.m.
Saturday at The Palestra, Philadelphia, 7 p.m.
Records: Yale (19-7, 9-3 Ivy); Princeton (16-11, 7-4); Penn (17-11, 9-2)
Video: goprincetontigers.com; pennathletics.com
Scouting Yale: The final weekend of the season is full of possibilities for the Bulldogs. Yale could actually win the title outright if all things go its way. Yale trails Harvard by a game in the Ivy League. If the Bulldogs sweep the weekend series and Harvard loses its last two games (at Columbia and Cornell) Yale would win the league and become the first school in the nation to earn an NCAA berth. While all four results will be considered upsets the fact that the Bulldogs are still alive is testament to how well they’ve played this season. Yale finished the season 11-1 at home and is currently 8-6 on the road. The Bulldogs are trying for their first 20-win season since 2002.
Scouting Princeton: The Tigers are 37-6 all-time against the Bulldogs at Jadwin. Princeton is still mathematically alive in the Ivy League race helped by their win over league-leading Harvard earlier in the season. Yale beat Princeton 58-54 at New Haven this season. Ian Hummer led the Tigers with 18 points in the game. Yale hasn’t swept the season series against the Tigers since 2008.
Scouting Penn: The Quakers ended Harvard’s 28-game home streak on Saturday to move to within a half-game of the Ivy League lead. Led by Zach Rosen, Penn has won fivestraight, four of which have come by three points or less. Rosen was named the Ivy League Player of the Week on Monday. He scored the Quakers' last 16 points in a win at Dartmouth and the last nine points in the victory over the Crimson.
Probable starters
Yale
Name, Ht, Year, Pos, PPg.
Jeremiah Kreisberg, 6-10, So., F, 7.7
Greg Mangano, 6-10, Sr, C, 18.5
Reggie Willhite, 6-4, Sr, F, 12.6
Austin Morgan, 5-10, Jr, G, 12.3
Michael Grace, 6-0, Jr.G, 5.5
Princeton

Name, Ht, Year, Pos, PPg.

Patrick Saunders, 6-8, Sr., F, 6.3
Ian Hummer, 6-7, Jr., F, 16.2
Brendan Connolly , 6-11, Jr.C, 5.3
T.J. Bray, 6-5, So., G, 7.2
Doug Davis, 5-11, Sr., G, 13.2

Off the bench: Yale: Brandon Sherrod, 6-6, Fr., F, 4.1, Jesse Pritchard, 6-5, So., G, 2.2. Princeton: Denton Koon, 6-8, Fr., F, 5.2, . Mack Darrow, 6-9, Jr., F, 6.8.
 Bill Cloutier

Mangano Invited To Portsmouth Invitational

Skills Will Be On Display For NBA Scouts In April

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Greg Mangano will have the opportunity to showcase his skills for NBA scouts when he participates in the prestigious Portsmouth Invitational in April.

Mangano, who leads the Ivy League in scoring (18.5 ppg.), rebounding (9.7 rpg.) and blocks (62), will be one of the top seniors from across the nation to participate in a four-day, 12-game tournament in front of representatives from every NBA team. The Invitational runs from April 11-14 in Portsmouth, Va.

Mangano has enjoyed an outstanding career for the Bulldogs. His 210 career blocks are the most all-time at Yale and the third most in Ivy League history. In addition, he is seventh in school history with 708 career rebounds, and his 1,166 career points are the 15th most by a Yale player.

Over the summer, Mangano was a part of the 12-player roster that represented the United States in the 2011 World University Games in Shenzhen, China. In six games during the tournament, Mangano averaged 3.2 points and 3.2 rebounds. The team was coached by Purdue's Matt Painter.

As a junior, Mangano finished ninth in the nation in blocked shots (3.0 per game) and 24th in rebounding (10.0 rpg.). He averaged 16.3 points and was a unanimous first team All-Ivy selection and earned all-district honors from the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC).

Mangano led the Ivy League in rebounding and blocked shots and was second in scoring. He was the first Ivy player to average a double-double for the season since Harvard’s Kyle Snowden in 1995-96. His numbers were even more impressive in Ivy games where he averaged 18.6 points and 10.4 rebounds, which both led the league.

Mangano was dominant on both ends of the floor. His 85 blocks were the most in a season in school history and the third most in Ivy history. In addition, his 51 blocks in league games were a new Ivy record

He also became the first Yale player since Chris Dudley in 1986-87 to average a double-double for the season.

“Greg has performed extremely well over the last two seasons, and he is well deserving of this honor,” said James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Men’s Basketball at Yale.

This year is the 60th annual Portsmouth Invitational. Notable players who have participated over the years include Dave Cowens, John Lucas, John Stockton, Tim Hardaway and Scottie Pippen.

COLUMBIA AT YALE
When: Today at 7 p.m.
Where: Lee Amphitheater, New Haven
Records: Columbia (14-12, 3-7 Ivy League); Yale (17-7, 7-3 Ivy)
TV: YES
Scouting Yale: The Bulldogs are 9-1 at home and sit in third place in the Ivy League after losing at Harvard last weekend. Yale rallied from 21 points down in the second half to defeat Columbia two weeks ago for its sixth straight win in the series. Reggie Willhite had 24 points and seven steals in the game to lead the comeback and also hit the game-winning shot. Yale trails Penn by a half-game for second place in the Ivy League and the Quakers play at Harvard on Saturday.
Scouting Columbia: The Lions dropped a 61-59 decision in overtime last time out at Penn. Meiko Lyles led Columbia with 17 points in the game. Columbia has lost three straight games and six of its seven losses in the league losses have been by five points or fewer. The Lions are 25th in the nation and first in the Ivy in scoring defense allowing just over 60 ppg.
Probable starters
Yale
Name, Ht, Year, Pos, Ppg.
Jeremiah Kreisberg, 6-10, So., F, 7.9
Greg Mangano, 6-10, Sr, C, 18.4
Reggie Willhite, 6-4, Sr, F, 12.5
Austin Morgan, 5-10, Jr, G, 12.2
Michael Grace, 6-0, Jr., G, 5.9
Columbia
Alex Rosenberg, 6-7, Fr., F, 6.9
John Daniels, 6-8, Jr., F, 2.9
Mark Cisco, 6-9, Jr., C, 9.8
Brian Barbour, 6-1, Jr., G, 15.2
Meiko Lyles, 6-3, So., G, 10.5

Off the bench: Yale: Brandon Sherrod, 6-6, Fr., F, 3.8; Jesse Pritchard,6-5, So., G, 1.6. Columbia: Blaise Staab, 6-5, Sr., F, 4.0; Chris Crockett, 5-10, Sr., G, 5.6.

NEW HAVEN – Last weekend is already a blur to Yale men’s basketball coach James Jones. His Bulldogs lost an overtime heart-breaker at Cornell and then rallied from 21 points down in the second half to defeat Columbia.
The weekend split left Yale (16-6, 6-2 Ivy League) in exactly the same place it was before it started,in second place and a game behind Harvard in the Ivy League standings. Yale visits Dartmouth (4-20, 0-8) on Friday night before playing at the Crimson (21-3, 7-1) on Saturday at Cambridge, Mass., in another crucial weekend of league play.
“The entire weekend is a complete blur,” Jones said of last week’s split. “You think about playing those games so close together. A four-hour bus ride. We got little sleep and the fact that you play overtime one night and then play the next night.
“We didn’t even get a chance to digest the Cornell game (an 85-84 loss) fully and they’re throwing the ball up for another game. I’m not sure what to take from the comeback in the Columbia game but I know that this team is resilient and they never give up.”
Yale forward Reggie Willhite took over the game against the Lions scoring 24 points including the game-winner in the 59-58 victory. Jones said it might have been the best game he’s ever played at Yale.
“He did what he was capable of doing,” Jones said. “There are very few people in the league that can stay in front of him. We were able to isolate him a little and he was able to do some stuff on his own.”
Said Willhite: “A lot of people were probably writing the season off during the Columbia game. It shows your true colors when your back is against the wall. The loss to Cornell definitely stung. Being down 21 points and staring the end of the season in your face, we had to find something that worked. We played our hearts and were able to get back into it.”
Yale defeated Dartmouth 62-52 getting a game-high 16 points from Willhite. They’re certainly not looking past the Big Green tonight.
“You do exactly what you’ve always done to prepare,” Jones said. “Last week we spent a lot more time on Cornell because they play differently than any other team in the league. This week we spent as much time working on ourselves as we did Harvard or Dartmouth.
“Dartmouth is always tough, especially up there. They’ve played everybody tough. Last week Penn’s Zach Rosen had to bury a 3-pointer from over 30 feet away to beat them. They’re dangerous. We’re very good inside and if we go in there we have a distinct advantage.”
Should the Bulldogs beat Dartmouth it has a short turnaround to get ready for nationally-ranked Harvard.
“It’s the curse of the Ivy League,” Willhite said. “Playing back-to-back nights is always tough but it’s even tougher when you have a huge rivalry game on the second night.”
Yale was embarrassed by Harvard 65-35 earlier in the season. The Bulldogs were never in the contest but Jones feels that his team can truly compete with the Crimson.
“Even in that game, Harvard only scored 65 points,” he said. “So our defense wasn’t that bad, we just couldn’t make a basket.”
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Yale ralled from 21 points down to defeat Columbia on Saturday night. Coupled with Harvard's loss at Princeton, the Bulldogs trail the Crimson by a game in the Ivy League standings.
Here is Yale's game report from Columbia:

NEW YORK, N.Y. – Yale has made a habit of coming from behind throughout the season. The Bulldogs took it to a new level on Saturday.
Reggie Willhite's driving layup with 13 seconds left capped a memorable comeback and lifted Yale to a thrilling 59-58 victory over Columbia before a stunned crowd of 2,442 at Levien Gym.
The Bulldogs (16-6, 6-2 Ivy) trailed by 21 with 11:30 left in the second half.
Willhite finished with 24 points to pace Yale, who moved back within one game of first place Harvard. The Crimson lost to Princeton 70-62.
"Gritty is the only word I can use to describe it," said Willhite, who was 11-of-19 from the field and added five assists and seven steals. "We've shown a lot of resiliency all year. We've had a lot of close games and are battle tested."
Greg Mangano, who was in foul trouble for the second straight night, added 11 points for the Bulldogs. Austin Morgan and Jeremiah Kreisberg both had eight points.
Meiko Lyles led Columbia (14-10, 3-5 Ivy) with 17 points. Mark Cisco scored 12 points and grabbed 12 rebounds.
It was a Cisco jumper that gave the Lions their biggest lead, 51-30. The advantage was still eight, 58-50, after Lyles hit a three-pointer with 4:20 remaining, but Columbia didn't score again.
Jesse Pritchard's three-pointer pulled the Bulldogs within one with 37 seconds left. Yale's press then forced a Columbia turnover, setting up Willhite's dramatic layup.
"I saw the help side defender turn his head so I just took my man and went to the basket," Willhite said.
Still, Columbia had a chance to win when Blaise Staab was fouled with three seconds remaining. Staab, though, missed both free throws and Mangano grabbed the defensive rebound.
The last second victory came one night after the Bulldogs suffered a heartbreaking 85-84 overtime loss at Cornell.
"Our guys really clamped down and came together," said James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of Men's Basketball. "It was an unbelievable comeback."
A number of players had a role in the victory. Pritchard's three-pointer was huge, and freshman Brandon Sherrod scored five points and grabbed six rebounds in 17 minutes off the bench.
"It's the sign of a good team when you have several players making contributions," Jones said. "Greg was a little off, Austin was a little off but other guys stepped up."
Mangano picked up two early fouls, which limited him to only nine first-half minutes. Fortunately for the Bulldogs, Willhite picked up the slack. He was 6-of-9 from the field and had 14 of Yale's 23 first-half points.
"Reggie had a monster game," Jones said.
Yale trailed 30-23 at the intermission.
Morgan, despite shooting only 3-of-9 from the field, hit a number of big shots late, scoring all eight of his points in the last 8:30.
NOTES: The largest deficit the Bulldogs had overcome entering Saturday's game was 13, which they did twice – in wins over Sacred Heart and Rhode Island… The comeback was reminiscent of last year's home win over Cornell when the Bulldogs rallied from a 10-point deficit in the final two minutes... Yale has now won the last six meetings with the Lions… Columbia shot 55.8 percent from the field in the game but committed 19 turnovers… The Lions outrebounded Yale 29-27… The Bulldogs are back on the road next weekend – at Dartmouth on Friday and at Harvard on Saturday. Both games begin at 7 p.m.

YALE AT CORNELL
When: Today at 7 p.m.
Where: Newman Arena, Ithaca, N.Y.
Records: Yale (15-5, 5-1 Ivy); Cornell (8-12, 3-3)
Video: cornellbigred.com
Scouting Yale: The Bulldogs hit the road for another crucial weekend. Yale sits in second place in the Ivy League, a game behind Harvard who plays tough road games this weeked at Penn and Princeton. The Bulldogs have won three straight and are off to their best start since 2006-07. Yale’s defense was the key last weekend limiting both opponents under 40 percent shooting and Greg Mangano averaged 21.5 ppg in a pair of game to earn Ivy Player of the Week honors.
Scouting Cornell: The Big Red are 7-2 at home this season and are always in close games. In its last 18 Division I games, 16 have been decided by single digits. Drew Ferry leads the balanced Cornell scoring at 11.7 ppg and the Big Red feature the top freshman in the league in rugged forward Shonn Miller. Chris Wroblewski recently cracked the 1,000-point mark.
Probable starters
Yale
Name,Ht,Year,Pos,PPg.
Jeremiah Kreisberg,6-10,So.,F,7.6
Greg Mangano,6-10,Sr,C,19.0
Reggie Willhite,6-4,Sr,F,12.3
Austin Morgan,5-10,Jr,G,12.0
Michael Grace,6-0,Jr.,G,6.3
Cornell
Drew Ferry,6-2,Sr.,G,11.7
Chris Wroblewski,6-6,Sr.,G,10.1
Shonn Miller,6-7,Fr.,F,9.5
Jonathan Gray,6-3,Jr.,G,6.9
Eitan Chimerewski,6-8,Fr.,F,6.6

Off the bench: Yale: Brandon Sherrod, 6-6, Fr., F, 3.7; Jesse Pritchard,6-5, So., G, 1.5. Cornell: Dwight Tarwater, 6-6, So., F, 2.9; Galal Cancer, 6-2, Fr., G, 6.6; Josh Figini, 6-9, Jr., F, 5.3.

NEW HAVEN, Conn. – Greg Mangano had another big week for the Yale men’s basketball team, and it has resulted in a pair of honors for the 6-10 center. Mangano, who averaged 21.5 points and 11.0 rebounds in Yale’s weekend sweep of Penn and Princeton, earned Ivy League and CollegeSportsMadness National Mid-Major Player of the Week honors.
Mangano was recognized by the Ivy League for the eighth time in his career, which ties for the second most in league history. Only Brown’s Earl Hunt (9 – 2000-03) has more.
In Yale’s 60-53 victory over Penn, Mangano hit a big three-pointer and had two huge offensive rebounds off of missed free throws in the last three minutes as the Bulldogs’ scored the final 10 points of the game. He finished with 23 points and 10 rebounds.
He followed that up by scoring 20 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the 58-54 win over Princeton.
Mangano leads the Ivy League in scoring (19.0 ppg.), rebounding (10.1 rpg.) and blocks (49).

Reggie Willhite, who scored 20 points and grabbed nine rebounds in the win over Princeton, was named to the Ivy League Honor Roll.

The Bulldogs have a pair of road games this weekend. They play at Cornell on Friday and then are at Columbia on Saturday. Both games begin at 7 p.m.

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
NEW HAVEN -- Yale’s loss to Harvard a week ago made this weekend’s games imperative. The Bulldogs’ men’s basketball team had to sweep powerhouses Penn and Princeton if they were to truly contend for an Ivy League crown.
Mission accomplished.

Reggie Willhite and Greg Mangano both scored 20 points and Yale held off a late rally to defeat Princeton 58-54 before 2,175 fans at the Lee Amphitheater Saturday night. The win, Yale’s third straight, moves them to 15-5 overall and 5-1 in the Ivy League. Harvard leads the league at 6-0 and both teams have eight games left.
“It feels amazing,” Yale captain Reggie Willhite said. “Coach told us before the game how Princeton had beaten us five straight times. We knew how important it was to get a Penn-Princeton sweep. It’s always one of the most difficult parts of the season and to win both of them at home feels great.”
Princeton, one of the preseason favorites in the league, fell to 11-10 overall and 2-3 in the Ivy. The Tigers were led by Ian Hummer with 18 points. Mack Darrow had 11 and Patrick Saunders had 10.
Yale was fantastic in the first half. The Bulldogs took a 32-23 lead into the break despite shooting 2-for-10 from 3-point range. The rest of their game, however, was precise led by Willhite, who had 13 points at the break. Yale’s defense held Princeton without a point for nearly 10 minutes.
“We re-geared after Harvard,” Willhite said. “Everybody understood what this weekend meant, myself included, and we played pretty well.”
The Bulldogs opened up the advantage to a dozen early in the second half but it seemed like they wanted to put the game away from the 3-point line. Yale missed five straight shots from long range in a scoreless span of nearly five minutes.
While the stretch didn’t hurt them much on the scoreboard, Jones said the offense went stagnant and Princeton finally began to chip away. Hummer led the charge scoring 10 straight Tiger points and Princeton eventually closed the gap to 53-51 on a putback by Darrow with 1:08 to play.
“I still felt pretty good,” Jones said. “We maintained the lead for the most part. I just felt we took some ill-advised shots but what’s anchored us all weekend was our defense.”
Yale didn’t buckle and Jeremiah Kreisberg made two free throws on the next trip to extend the lead to four. Princeton, which missed several open 3-pointers in the second half, never got closer than three points in the final minute and never had the ball with a chance to tie the game. The Tigers shot 33 percent from the field in the game.
“Our guys did a good job of staying focused and we did all that was necessary to win the game,” Jones said. “We got a little tight in the second half and we stopped trying to win the game and instead tried to manage it.
“We haven’t been in that situation in games, to manage the lead.”
Kreisberg played his best game in weeks for the Bulldogs. The sophomore forward from Berkeley, Calif., scored nine points and two took charges.
“I texted him last night and told him I have great confidence in him and he was going to have a good game today,” Jones said. “He’s been in a little bit of a haze but he got himself out of it. He knows he’s a good player. He just needs to make sure he has the confidence.”
It was the fifth time in Jones’ tenure at Yale that he’s swept the weekend series against Penn and Princeton. The Bulldogs, who are 9-1 at home, now play four straight games on the road capped by a Feb. 18 trip to first-place Harvard.
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NEW HAVEN — A decade ago the Yale men’s basketball team entered its weekend series against Penn and Princeton with a 3-1 mark. The Bulldogs swept the pair of games and went on to share the Ivy League title.
They haven’t won a league crown since.

With the circumstances identical to begin this weekend, Yale scored the final 10 points to defeat Penn 60-53 in a crucial league contest in front of 2,012 at the Lee Amphitheater Friday night.
With the victory, Yale (14-5) improves to 4-1 in league play with another big contest against Princeton on tap tonight.
"This was a huge win," Yale center Greg Mangano said. "After the way we played last week there were a lot of people doubting us, but we know how good we can be. It’s good to have the opportunity to bounce back and prove ourselves."
A week ago Yale made loads of careless turnovers and was hammered by Harvard. While they didn’t clean things up much on Friday night, they won the game with heart.

"The mark of a good team is when you can overcome your mistakes and we were able to do that," Yale coach James Jones said. "There were plenty of them tonight, but we were still able to overcome the bad play with desire."
Mangano led all scorers with 23 points, including a huge 3-pointer that tied the game at 53 with 2:27 to play. Austin Morgan and Michael Grace each added 11 points for the Bulldogs.
Penn was paced by electric guard Zach Rosen, a two-time All-Ivy first-team selection, with 16 points. Rob Belcore added 11 points and six assists for Penn (11-10, 3-1).
The Quakers missed a lot of open shots. Rosen was 0-for-5 from 3-point range and high-scoring forward Tyler Bernardini, who scored 29 points in a game at UCLA earlier in the season, finished with six points on 2-of-13 shooting.
The game was close throughout. Yale broke open a 29-29 halftime score with the first eight points of the second half, but the lead evaporated quickly. Rosen then began to take over and a jumper in the lane gave the Quakers a 53-50 lead with 4:50 to play.
Penn never scored again.
"We wanted to make sure Penn won the game and we didn’t give it to them," Jones said. "We didn’t play well last week and we wanted to learn from that."
After Mangano’s 3, Reggie Willhite picked Rosen’s pocket with just over a minute to play. Willhite’s ensuing layup was blocked from behind but Morgan was there for the rebound. His shot was also blocked, but it was ruled goaltending and Yale took the lead for good.
The Bulldogs put the game away on the free-throw line, but it was an adventure. Brandon Sherrod made the first of a 1-and-1 situation, but missed the second. Mangano got the rebound and he was fouled.
Mangano missed his free throw, but out-raced everyone to the baseline to pull in the long rebound — his 10th of the game — and was fouled again. This time he put the game out of reach, making both free throws.
"I’m very disappointed," Penn coach Jerome Allen said. "Not so much because we lost, but we looked like we didn’t work that hard. I know what it’s going to take to win a title and we didn’t have it tonight."
The same can’t be said for the Bulldogs, who clearly out-worked Penn down the stretch.
"Everyone was singing our praises and saying this weekend was going to be easy for us," Allen said. "I still think we’re a better team and I’m really disappointed to come up short."
Allen said that Mangano made the difference.
"Every time he was open he made the shot, and every time we didn’t box out he got the rebound and scored."
Yale was 7-for-14 from 3-point range in the game. Penn shot 38 percent from the field. Willhite finished with eight rebounds, five assists and three steals.

Yale's split against Harvard and Dartmouth certainly didn't seal its fate in the Ivy League but it made this weekend very important.
The Bulldogs welcome Penn into town on Friday night and then have to turn around and meet Princeton.
While Princeton also has the quick turnaround, playing Brown the previous night, it frankly isn't as difficult as getting ready to play Penn.
Brown is 1-3 in the league and actually is quite similar to Yale.
The difference between preparing for Penn and Princeton is night and day.
Chatted with Greg Mangano's dad the other day and he said his son is tired.
It certainly hasn't hindered his play but think about Mangano's grueling schedule in the past year.
Twice he went to China, the first time playing exhibitions with his teammates. Then he tried out for the World University Games and earned a spot on Team USA.
You know how hard he had to work to make that team.
Now he's the focal point of opposing defenses every night of the season at Yale.
After the season is over he'll get little time off as you can be sure he'll be headed to every NBA camp he can to get more exposure.

By Bill Cloutier
Assistant Sports Editor
bcloutier@nhregister.com
NEW HAVEN – The sigh of relief could be heard all the way to the campus of Harvard in Cambridge, Mass.

Yale, down by as many as 11 points and trailing virtually the entire game, finished the game on a 13-3 run to defeat Brown 68-64 in the Ivy League opener for both teams before a crowd of 1,832 at the Lee Amphitheater Saturday.
Yale, picked second in the preseason league poll, entered the game a 13-point favorite and after posting a 10-4 pre-league record, its best since 1991, its title aspirations were high.
A loss to Brown was frankly unacceptable if the Bulldogs had any chance of taking the Ivy League title from heavyweights such as Harvard..
“They’re all big wins,” Yale coach James Jones said. “You don’t ever want to lose a league game especially at home. You don’t want to start off 0-1. I thought our kids did a really good job of keeping their composure but I can’t tell you that I felt like we were going to pull this one out the whole time because I didn’t.
Austin Morgan led Yale with 18 points seven in the decisive run. Greg Mangano had a quiet 15 points and just four rebounds, well below his league-leading average of 10.7.
And Reggie Willhite finished with 12 points and three steals, two of which changed the game.
“It took the last five minutes of the game to ratchet things up a little bit, especially on the defensive end and make some plays give ourselves the opportunity to win,” Jones said.
Trailing 61-58 with 1:35 to play, Willhite picked the pocket of Brown star Sean McGonahill and turned it into a thunderous dunk. On the very next trip down the court Willhite did it again.
After the second steal Yale took a timeout and then Willhite buried a jumpshot with 59 seconds to play to give Yale its first lead, 62-61, since it led 7-3 in the game’s first minutes.
McGonagill finished with a game-high 23 points but couldn’t beat Willhite when the game was on the line. Regarded as the league’s best defender, Jones never opted to have Willhite defend the high-scoring Brown guard until the game’s final minutes.
“(Entering the game) we didn’t feel we needed to,” Jones said. “We thought our trio of guards would give him enough trouble. But you have to give McGonagill credit. He had a great game. He made a lot of tough shots and I don’t know if he’s going to make those shots night after night.
“Not taking anything away from Reggie but McGonagill played 40 minutes and he may not make those steals if he wasn’t that tired.”
Said Willhite: “Even before I switched on McGonagill they had been stalling. They were playing not to lose, not necessarily to win. I knew I didn’t have many fouls and I knew we weren’t going to get many more possessions so I went for it and it worked out.
“I ended up getting a couple of steals and we got the win.”
.After Willhite’s jumper Brown had a chance to regain the lead but Matt Sullivan (16 points) missed a wide open 3-pointer in the corner.
Yale got the rebound and Michael Grace hit two free throws and later Morgan sank four more free throws to ice it.
“You’d have to be crazy not to (breathe a sigh of relief) after this one,” Willhite said. “We’re happy this one is behind us. We have to keep our destiny in our own hands and we lose the ones that we have the advantage in.”
Brown got just the start it needed. Entering the contest on a four-game losing streak the Bears fell behind 7-3 but got a boost of confidence scoring the next 10 points as Yale went ice cold from the floor and appeared a bit rattled.
Brown knocked down six 3-pointers in the first nine minutes of the game, three from Stephen Albrecht and it finished with nine trifectas (9-for-15) in the first half to take a 38-31 lead into intermission.
It could have been worse for the Bulldogs but McGonagill, who had 16 points at the break was fouled two separate times on 3-point attempts but the 78 percent free throw shooter only made one of six attempts.
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The Yale women's basketball team opened the Ivy League season with a win over Brown on the road.
The Bulldogs rallied in the second half led by Amanda Tyson.
Here are the game details from the Yale web site. Remember the men host Brown Saturday at 2 p.m.:

The Yale University women’s basketball team entered Ivy League play with an 0-5 record when trailing at halftime. On Friday in the Ivy League opener at Brown, the Bulldogs needed help from an unexpected source to turn things around in a second-half rally that secured the road victory.
Sophomore guard Amanda Tyson came off the bench to record 10 of her 12 points and seven of her game-high eight rebounds in the second half to help lift Yale to a 75-65 win over Brown at the Pizzitola Sports Center Friday night.
Tyson’s eight rebounds included seven on the offensive glass. The 12 points, eight rebounds and seven offensive rebounds are all new career-high marks for Tyson. She also set new career-high marks in field goals made (4), free throws made (4) and free throws attempted (5).
Junior guard Megan Vasquez scored a game-high 23 points to lead the Bulldogs (9-6, 1-0 Ivy League), who improve to 4-0 in 2012. It was the fifth 20-point outing of the season for Vasquez, who scored 20 or more points five times previously in her Yale career, all coming last season.
In her first game following her recognition as the Ivy League’s Rookie of the Week, freshman guard Sarah Halejian scored a career-high 18 points on 5-of-10 shooting, 6-of-6 from the free-throw line, to go with three steals.
Sheila Dixon scored 20 points to lead Brown (9-5, 0-1 Ivy League), which saw its six-game winning streak snapped.
The two teams will return to the court on Friday, Jan. 20, when Brown visits Yale at John J. Lee Amphitheater at 7 p.m.