Since the start of the Thanksgiving break, the team has won two games against Maine and New Mexico State but lost two games against Houston Christian and UMass.
Henry Fritch
Special correspondent
yale athletics
Eight games into the season, the Yale women’s basketball team is 4–4.
The Bulldogs (4-4, 0-0 Ivy) have played four games since the start of the Thanksgiving break. The Ellis got off to a strong start by beating Maine on November 19 (3–4, 0–0 US East).
“We just moved the ball well, kept making the right passes, found the open man,” wrote Jenna Clark, 24. “We felt good offensively that night and shot well.”
Next week, Yale travels to Colorado for the Denver Classic against New Mexico State (2-4, 0-0 WAC) and Houston Christian University (3-2, 0-0 Southern). The Bulldogs beat NMSU and lost to HCU. Back on the East Coast, the Bulldogs played at UMass (7-1, 0-0 Atlantic 10) and lost to the Minutemen.
Against Maine, the Elis outscored the hosts 17-3 in the second quarter to end the first half with a 30-10 lead. The Bulldogs outscored Maine the rest of the way, winning 55-46. Clark led the team with 15 points and five assists. Elles van Der Maas ’24 scored 11 points and Mackenzie Egger ’25 added 10 more.
At the Denver Classic in Colorado, Yale brought their offense with at least three players scoring in double figures per game.
In Game 1 against New Mexico State, the Bulldogs won 73-65. Clark and Nyla McGill ’25 each scored 11 points, while rookie Kiley Capstraw ’26 led the team with 23 points. It was the second time Capstraw has scored 20 or more points this season.
“It’s great to have a freshman who can contribute in so many different ways,” Eger said. “She’s going to have a great career at Yale and it’s great to see her grow with each game.”
In their next game against Houston Christian, Yale couldn’t take the lead and trailed 68-61. Four Huskies scored in double figures, and guard Kennedy Wilson scored her season-high 20 points. However, Wilson wasn’t the only player on the field who had a career game, as Yale got a great night from Clark. The junior guard led the Bulldogs in points, rebounds and assists with a 15-8-5 stats and had a career-high eight rebounds.
Away from Denver, Yale played Wednesday night at UMass in a 72-57 loss to the Minute Girls, which have won six straight since losing to Tennessee earlier in the season. At that time, the Volunteer Army ranked fifth in the country.
Against Yale, UMass took the lead early in the game. Trailing by 14 points at halftime, the Bulldogs couldn’t close the gap in the second half despite McGill’s assist and a season-high scoring from Grace Thybulle ’25. McGill led the Bulldogs with seven assists and 11 rebounds, while Thybulle had 16 points.
Regarding her season-high performance, Thybulle wrote to the news: “Before this game, I did feel a little uncomfortable, so I have been working with the coach. [Dalila Eshe] and my positional coach to sort this out. We’ve done a lot of work to allow me to use my fitness more effectively and spend more time around the rim. “
The Bulldogs play Syracuse (5–2, 0–0 ACC) at Payne Whitney Stadium on Sunday at 12 p.m.
