Yale stages late rally, stuns Brown in Ivy League final

Field Level Media|published: Sun 17th March, 14:30 2024

Nov 10, 2023; Spokane, Washington, USA; Yale Bulldogs head coach James Jones reacts after a play against the Gonzaga Bulldogs in the first half at McCarthey Athletic Center. credits: James Snook-USA TODAY Sports

Matt Knowling made a short jumper along the baseline as time expired to lift Yale to a 62-61 victory over Brown on Sunday in the final of the Ivy League tournament in New York.

John Poulakidas scored 18 points for the second-seeded Bulldogs (22-9), who overcame a four-point deficit with 21 seconds to play to advance to the NCAA Tournament for the fourth time in eight seasons.

Poulakidas sank a 3-pointer with 14 seconds left and Brown's Malachi Ndur missed two free throws to set the stage for the buzzer-beating basket. Knowling accepted a nifty bounce pass from Bez Mbeng and sank the short jumper.

The late surge buried the fourth-seeded Bears (13-18), who were attempting to punch their ticket to the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 1986.

Kino Lilly. Jr. scored 21 points for Brown, which saw its seven-game winning streak come to a halt.

—Field Level Media