In a nail-biting Ivy Championship game, Brown managed to lead Yale by six points with just 22 seconds remaining. However, a late rally by the Bulldogs, led by Bez Mbeng and John Poulakidas, narrowed the deficit to one point. Despite having opportunities at the free-throw line to extend their lead, Brown could not capitalize, leaving the door open for Yale’s Matt Knowling to hit the game-winning floater at the buzzer.
This loss denied Brown the Ivy championship and extended their NCAA tournament drought. The Bears had stunned top-seeded Princeton in the semifinals to advance to the final, but a slow start to their season had left them struggling to keep up with their opponents.
Yale, on the other hand, had been confident in their ability to win the title and had not expected to face Brown in the championship game. After a strong regular season and a hard-fought victory over Harvard in the semifinals, the Bulldogs entered the final as favorites to take home the trophy.
Despite being caught off guard by Brown’s unexpected run in the tournament, Yale managed to pull off a thrilling buzzer-beater to secure their Ivy Championship title. The Bulldogs will now advance to the NCAA tournament where they will face tough competition from some of college basketball’s best teams.
Brown may have come up short in their bid for an Ivy championship title this year, but they can still take pride in their impressive season and near-upset of Yale in
