Bulldogs Beat No. 4 seed Auburn 78-76 to Advance in NCAA
| Team | 1 | 2 | F |
|---|---|---|---|
| 34 | 44 | 78 | |
| 41 | 35 | 76 |
Game Recap: Men’s Basketball | | Tim Bennett
SPOKANE STUNNER; Bulldogs Take Down No. 4 seed Auburn 78-76 to Advance to NCAA Tournament Second Round
Poulakidas scores 28 points to lead Yale; Next up San Diego State
SPOKANE, Wash. – Yale is moving on to the second round of the NCAA Tournament. John Poulakidas scored 28 points on 10-of-15 shooting from the field as the Bulldogs, the No. 13 seed in the East Region, stunned No. 4 Auburn 78-76 at the Spokane Memorial Arena.
Yale advances to meet No. 5 seed San Diego State on Sunday. SDSU was a 69-65 winner over UAB in the first game of the day.
“I don’t know if that’s the best win in Yale basketball history, but I will tell you that is the best basketball team we’ve beaten,” said James Jones, The Joel E. Smilow, Class of 1954 Head Coach of the Bulldogs. “Auburn is tremendously talented and well coached.”
It is the second NCAA Tournament victory in school history for the Bulldogs. Jones guided Yale to a 79-75 win over Baylor in the 2016 tournament.
This win over the Tigers (27-8) certainly didn’t come easily. The Bulldogs trailed by 10, 68-58, with 7:27 remaining. Yale, though, fought back and a Poulakidas three-pointer put the Bulldogs in front, 73-72, with 2:10 left. Yale never relinquished the lead, but there were some anxious moments in the final seconds.
Auburn had a chance to tie, but Samson Aletan blocked Jaylin Williams’ shot. The rebound deflected to K.D. Johnson, whose desperation three-pointer missed, setting off pandemonium on the Yale bench.
“The guys had enough guts and enough staying together to give us a great victory and I couldn’t be prouder of my guys,” said Jones. “I know everybody says that, but I really mean it. I couldn’t be prouder, and I couldn’t love these guys more than I do right now.”
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Six of Poulakidas’ field goals came from three-point range, which ties the most by an Ivy Leaguer in the NCAA Tournament, and 16 of his points came in the second half. August Mahoney added 14 points, including going 9-of-11 from the free throw line. Danny Wolf contributed 13 points, five rebounds and three assists. Matt Knowling and Yassine Gharram each scored seven points, Bez Mbeng had five points and five rebounds, and Nick Townsend scored four points.
Johni Broome scored 24 points to pace Auburn, which was coming off an SEC Tournament championship.
Yale’s defense, which has been a strength all season, forced 14 Tiger turnovers.
The victory was the first for the Bulldogs over an SEC school since a 97-74 win over LSU in the Rainbow Classic when Jim Morgan ’71 (35 points) outdueled Pete Maravich (34 points).
“It’s a dream come true,” said Mahoney, Yale’s captain. “Every basketball player grows up watching March Madness. You see Cinderella stories every year, and to do it with this locker room with these guys all of whom I love so deeply makes it just really special.”