9 December, 2006
by Elliot Smilowitz
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1st |
2nd |
Final |
| American (7-3) |
29 |
24 |
53 |
| Yale (2-6) |
28 |
42 |
70 |
| John J. Lee Amphitheare – New Haven, CT |
Boxscore |
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Caleb Holmes scored 17 points to lead Yale past American 70-53 as a pair of streaks were snapped. The win was Yale’s first in seven games, the loss American’s first in five games.
The first half was even, with four lead changes and three ties. The Bulldogs led 7-2 early but American quickly tied it. Yale regained control, opening several 6-point leads late in the first half, but the Eagles used an 11-2 run to take a small lead into the half. Arvydas Eitutavicius and Eric Flato traded missed three-pointers in the final 15 seconds of the half.
The Bulldogs scored 8 straight to start the second half, with Casey Hughes scoring 5 of them. American used a 7-1 spurt to make it a 1-point game, but would never lead or tie again as Yale began to run away with the game. The Bulldogs opened their lead to 8 points with 9:44 left on an Alexander Zampier free throw, and would never again lead by less than 8.
Holmes’s 17 points was a game high, and Hughes Ross Morin pitched in 16 apiece. Arvydas Eitutavicius led American with 14 off the bench, and Cornelio Guibunda had a big game with 13 points, 5 boards and 3 blocks also off the bench.
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| Keys to the Game |
| Key sequence |
With 13:19 to go, Arvydas Eitutavicius hit a three to cut American’s deficit to 42-41. Yale responded with a Morin lay-in. Guibunda had a shot blocked, which led to a Matt Kyle lay-up. After a media timeout, Eitutavicius missed a three, and on the other end Morin was fouled and hit two free throws. Guibunda made a three-point play, but Eric Flato responded with a three-pointer. Yale now led by 7 and had taken control of the game.
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| Key sign it was over |
The Eagles cut their deficit to 6 with 5:36 to go on an Andre Ingram running jumper. Yale responded seconds later with a Holmes three-pointer. Ingram missed a shot, and Hughes hit a transition lay-up. The Bulldogs used this series to build more momentum and bury American in the final minutes.
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| Key performance |
Against the much-bigger Eagle frontcourt, Yale’s Ross Morin scored 16 off the bench, and grabbed 6 rebounds.
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| Key statistic |
American shot blanks from long range all night, going 3-of-18 from the arc. Ingram was 1-of-6.
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| Notes |
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Yale outrebounded American 44-32.
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Ingram scored 10 but had an off night, shooting 4-of-12 from the field.
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Normally a big shooter, Flato attempted only 8 shots on the game, fewer than Holmes and Morin and as many as Hughes, and ended up with 5 points and 7 assists. He had been averaging 14.3 points and 3.2 assists per game.
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Usually just a shooter, Garrison Carr was scoreless off the bench for the Eagles but had 3 assists and 2 steals in 9 minutes.
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Yale hosts Hartford Monday night before breaking for exams. American doesn’t play another game until traveling to Maryland Dec. 23.
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