Penn thanks Elis, then beats them

The Princeton men's basketball team fell 60-58 to Yale in double overtime on Friday for its first Ivy loss since '96. The Yale Daily News NEW HAVEN, Conn. -- Certain college basketball gyms are known for hosting raucous crowds and classic court battles that make for SportsCenter highlights and have a tremendous impact come Tournament time. Duke's Cameron Indoor Stadium, Kentucky's Rupp Arena and UCLA's Pauley Pavilion are just some of the names that come to mind. On Friday night, the tiny John J. Lee Amphitheater took on all those characteristics of big-time college basketball when the Yale men's basketball team stunned then-league-unbeaten Princeton, 60-58, in double-overtime. In the biggest Ivy upset of the 1990s, the Amphitheater saw a packed house on its feet for most of the second half and the two overtimes. The game itself was a fight to the finish, as each team had chances to win the game both at the end of regulation and the first overtime, but to no avail. After 35 straight wins spanning two full seasons and part of a third, Princeton head coach Bill Carmody was finally handed his first Ivy League loss, but no one -- except maybe the 15 players on the Yale roster and the three-man coaching staff -- would have predicted that the loss would come on Friday night. "It's obviously been a long, frustrating season," Yale power forward David Tompkins said. "But tonight was something that I can look back on and smile about when I'm 60 years old." After both sides had opportunities to win the game at the end of regulation and the first overtime, the Bulldogs took control to open the second overtime. With 1:14 remaining, Yale had a 58-51 lead with center Neil Yanke at the foul line. But Yanke missed the front end of the one-and-one, and Princeton once again attempted to claw its way back in. After five Princeton free throws cut the Yale lead to two, Yanke was once again sent to the foul line, this time for two shots. After missing the first attempt, he came back to hit the second one, giving the Elis a more comfortable yet still tenuous 59-56 edge with 17.4 ticks left. The Bulldogs responded to the challenge on defense by not allowing Princeton a single good look at the basket. Still, Brian Earl proved that he doesn't need a good look to drain the outside jumper when he leaned in from the three-point line and fired a shot under the arms of his defender, hitting nothing but net. The referee on the opposite side of the court signaled a three-pointer, and the scoreboard was changed to 59-59. But the referee right next to the play blew his whistle and ran over to the scorer's table, signaling that Earl's foot had been on the three-point line. The scoreboard now read 59-58 in favor of Yale, with 5.5 seconds left on the clock. After an Elis timeout, Princeton fouled Isaiah Cavaco before Tompkins could even attempt an inbounds pass. Cavaco only hit one of the two. Gabe Lewullis rebounded the miss and rushed down the court to attempt to at least tie. The Princeton senior made it to just outside the three-point line and got a decent look at the basket but his shot bounced harmlessly off the front of the rim. The elated home crowd spilled from the stands and mobbed the floor in celebration. "This is what college basketball is all about," Cavaco said. "Double overtime, with all the fans here -- this is what I live for." Yanke led all scorers with a career-high 21 points on the game, to go along with his 10 rebounds -- five of them on the offensive glass. The sophomore center was a dominant force inside, outplaying the highly-touted Chris Young down the stretch. The Elis were also helped by frigid Princeton shooting in overtime. The Tigers were 2-of-15 from the field in the extra periods, which included 0-for-11 on three-point attempts.