March Madness hit the Ivy League on Sunday, as Yale used a last-second basket to defeat Brown and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Matt Knowling’s short jumper gave Yale a 62-61 lead over Brown University, and an 8-1 run ended the game for the Bulldogs, helping Yale avoid an upset at Levian University on Columbia University’s Upper Manhattan campus. The game ended in the gym.
Brown led by six points with 27 seconds left in the second half, and Bez Mben cut Yale’s lead to three points with a 3-point play with 23 seconds left.
Brown University’s Nana Owusu-Ane made one of two free throws and Yale’s John Poulakidas made a 3-pointer to make it 61-60 with 14 seconds left.
Brown’s Malachi Nduru then missed two free throws, opening the door for Yale to win on its final possession, and Knowling’s final shot sealed the victory.
This will be the seventh tournament appearance for Yale, which was the No. 2 seed in the Ivy League.
The annual record is 22 wins and 9 losses.
Brown almost completed an incredible season turnaround as the Bears finished the regular season with six straight wins and defeated top-seeded Princeton in the semifinals.
The Bears are 13-18 and have not advanced to the NCAA Tournament since 1986.
