12-7-24 Recap: Yale's Strong Second Half Secures Win Over Vermont

By Joe Budzelek (@stf_ncaa)

With both teams missing two starters apiece, Yale ended its two-game losing streak by downing the Vermont Catamounts at home 65-to-50 on the heels of their best defensive performance of the season.

Considering that Yale’s leading scorer John Poulakidas (21.2 ppg; 43.8 3P%) and Vermont’s second leading scorer TJ Long (12.4 ppg; 37.5 3P%) were both absent from this afternoon’s tilt, a breakout performer was needed to step up and Yale’s junior wing Casey Simmons made the best with the opportunity, finishing with 18 points (7-for-10 shooting) and three steals, both career highs, along with eight rebounds. 

Vermont led Yale 24-to-22 following a rock fight of a first half as shooting inefficiency – Vermont and Yale shot under 35% from the field — and twenty combined turnovers marred each team’s offensive flow. Most notably, all of Yale point guard Bez Mbeng’s six turnovers occurred in the first half. 

However, the second half was another story. In major need of spacing, Yale head coach James Jones made the halftime adjustment of sitting sophomore center Samson Aletan for the entirety of the second half in favor of playing Nick Townsend (13 points, 2-for-4 from 3, six rebounds, four assists) at the small ball five, and at times, playing his natural position of power forward alongside senior forward Jack Molloy (five points, 1-for-2 from 3, two rebounds). Scoring 43 points in the second half, the added space helped Yale’s offense to wake up as the Bulldogs converted 52% of their second-half field goal attempts. In comparison, Vermont continued to struggle to score, making just 36% of their second half shots. 

Freshman forward Isaac Celiscar continued his efficient offensive play, finishing with nine points on 4-for-7 shooting and also added six rebounds and two assists. Celiscar’s physical frame combined with his athleticism and intelligence makes him an enticing player off-the-bench as his versatility and projectability brings him a high ceiling down the road. Yale’s injuries launched the opportunity for three other freshmen – Trevor Mullin, Jordan Brathwaite and Riley Fox — to play valuable minutes with Mullin making his first career start. An undersized, but pesky guard on both ends, Mullin filled in admirably in his starting role with both starters Poulakidas and senior guard Yassine Gharram both out with injury. 

Giving up 78 or more points in four of the first nine games of the season, the defensive struggles throughout the start of Yale’s season has been uncharacteristic, but today’s win felt like a return to the norm. The Bulldogs play three more non-conference games – a tilt against Akron and either Jackson State or UTEP in the Sun Bowl Invitation, followed by hosting Howard on New Year’s Day – before Ivy League play commences in mid-January.