Ivy race heats up as Yale, Penn try to catch Harvard

With less than 10 games left to play in the regular season, the race for the Ivy title between Harvard and Yale continued this weekend, as Penn, Princeton, and Cornell stayed in the hunt. Despite the fact that the Bulldogs only have one conference loss, the first-place Crimson seems unstoppable.

BROWN
Brown (7-16, 1-5 Ivy) lost to Princeton and Penn, failing to come close in both games. Princeton shot 10-of-22 from three-point range, destroying the Bears offensively in Brown’s 77-63 loss. Brown also fell flat against Penn, 65-48, despite the double-double from the junior forward Andrew McCarthy. The Bears will next play Harvard and Cornell.

CORNELL
Cornell (8-12, 3-3 Ivy) won its first road game against Dartmouth, 68-59, after a tough 71-60 loss to first-place Harvard. The Big Red’s defense held the Big Green to 35 percent shooting and forced 15 turnovers. Dartmouth was also kept off the scoreboard until the second quarter, a testament to Cornell’s defensive breakout. The Big Red will next face Yale and Brown at home.

DARTMOUTH
Dartmouth (4-18, 0-6 Ivy) prolonged its losing streak to five with losses to both Columbia and Princeton. In search of its first Ivy win, the Big Green let a 62-62 tie turn into a 64-62 win for the Lions with three seconds left in regulation. Dartmouth was unsuccessful against the Big Red as well—Cornell relied on an early 10-0 lead to hold off the Big Green in the 68-59 loss for Dartmouth. The Big Green will continue to look for its first Ivy win against Princeton and Penn.

HARVARD
Harvard (20-2, 6-0 Ivy) remains atop the Ivy League standings after going 2-0 this weekend, continuing to fend off the surging Bulldogs by winning game after game. The Crimson’s current win streak stands at eight—it toppled Cornell and Columbia this past Friday and Saturday. Harvard easily bested Cornell 71-60 with a superb offensive attack. The visiting Columbia team posed a greater challenge to the Crimson, which narrowly defeated the Lions 57-52. Columbia made the game interesting for 40 minutes, consistently answering Harvard’s shots. But the Lions could not stop Crimson senior forward Keith Wright, who scored 15 points and grabbed six boards. Wright contributed a bucket when Columbia was driving with under three minutes left in the game, helping the Crimson extend its lead to 50-46, before it finally pulled away from the relentless Light Blue. The Crimson will next play Penn and Princeton.

PENN
Penn (12-10, 4-1 Ivy) bounced back from a tough 60-53 loss against Yale with a 65-48 drubbing of Brown. The Quakers built a double-digit lead halfway through the first half and never looked back. Senior guard Rob Belcore led the way for Penn, tying a career high with 17 points and grabbing 10 boards for his second career double-double. The Quakers relied heavily on their perimeter shots and stingy late-game defense to prevent Brown from mounting a comeback. Penn, hoping to remain in contention for the Ivy League title, faces Harvard and Dartmouth this week.

PRINCETON
Princeton (11-10, 2-3 Ivy) went 1-1 this weekend, defeating Brown 77-63 before losing to the Bulldogs 58-54 in a nail-biter. The Tigers had difficulty maintaining a consistent offensive attack that could match Yale’s­—the Bulldogs scored 16 straight points in the first half and remained in the lead for the rest of the game. Princeton junior forward Ian Hummer scored 18 points for the Tigers, surpassing 1,000 career points. The accomplishment was bittersweet, as the loss proved to be a major setback for the Tigers in their chase for the Ivy title. Princeton will return home to face Dartmouth and Harvard this weekend.

YALE
Yale (15-5, 5-1 Ivy), like Harvard, went undefeated against its opponents and stayed on the heels of the league-leading Crimson in the race for the Ivy title. The Bulldogs dominated the end of the game against Penn, allowing them to capture the win over the Quakers, 60-53. Yale went on a 10-0 run at the end of the game, highlighted by a huge three-pointer and two offensive rebounds from senior center Greg Mangano. The game was tied at 53 with 2:31 left in the contest before the Bulldogs pulled away for good. Yale played another tight game the following day, overcoming Princeton 58-54. The Bulldogs are scheduled to play Cornell and Columbia this week.