Yale makes Ivy title, NCAA area on buzzer-beater
Mar 17, 2024, 03:21 PM ET
NEW YORK– Matt Knowling struck a jumper at the buzzer and Yale closed the game on an 8-1 run to beat Brown 62-61 in the national championship of the Ivy League competition Sunday, sending out the Bulldogs to the NCAA tournament for the seventh time.Kino Lilly
Jr. sank 2 totally free tosses to offer the fourth-seeded Bears (13-18) a 60-54 lead with 27 seconds staying. Bez Mbeng addressed with a three-point play for No. 2 seed Yale (22-9) to make it a one-possession game. Nana Owusu-Anane hit the second of two totally free throws for Brown, however John Poulakidas buried a 3-pointer and the Bulldogs tracked 61-60 with 14 seconds left.Poulakidas fouled Malachi Ndur, who missed out on two free tosses to set the stage for Knowling.Editor’s Picks 2 Associated” I do not even know.
… It’s difficult to process right now,
“Knowling said after the game.”I just wished to put myself in a position to clean up any misses around the basket. … I deal with my floater every day and it entered and I’m at a loss of words and I’m very grateful.”It was a hard finish
for the Bears, who beat Yale 84-81 in the last game of the routine season. Brown won 6 in a row to end the season and grab the conference tourney’s 4th and final berth.The Bears beat top-seeded Princeton 90-80 in the semifinals looking for their very first NCAA tournament look given that 1986. Their just other trip to the Huge Dance was available in 1939. Yale, which knocked off No. 3 seed Cornell 69-57 to reach the
last, last appeared in the NCAA tourney in 2022. The Bulldogs have won three of 5 championships since the Ivy began playing a four-team league tournament.Knowling and August Mahoney scored seven points apiece to guide Yale to a 26-22 advantage at halftime.
Lilly had seven at the break for Brown.Yale stayed in front up until back-to-back baskets by Ndur and Kalu Anya gave Brown a 46-44 lead with 8:22 left to play.
The Bears never trailed from there up until the final shot.Poulakidas led the Bulldogs with 18 points, sinking 4 of 9 from 3-point range. Mahoney included 15 points and 5 rebounds. Knowling amounted to 11 points, five rebounds and five helps. Danny Wolf had 13 rebounds to opt for 9 points. “He was cooking,” Knowling said of Poulakidas. “Him and August kept us in the game when we weren’t having any of our offense. Big kudos to all of my colleagues.
I had the last shot, however we would not be in this situation without any of my colleagues.”Lilly made three 3-pointers and scored 21 to lead Brown. Anya had 12 points and seven rebounds. Ndur pitched in with 12 points, 6 rebounds, 4 helps and two blocks off the bench.