Yale stunned Brown 62-61 in the Ivy League Tournament Championship Game on Sunday when forward Matt Knowling hit a game-winning shot at the final buzzer. The No. 2 seed Bulldogs trailed by six with just 27 seconds remaining before completing a stunning rally to deny the No. 4 seed Bears their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1986.
The Bulldogs will be returning to the Big Dance for the second time in the last three years under coach James Jones, who will be making his fourth overall appearance in 24 seasons leading the program.
Victory was within grasp for Brown in the final minute before Bez Mbeng converted a 3-point play for Yale to draw the Bulldogs to within three points with 22 seconds left. From there, Brown missed three of its four free throws to leave the door open for Yale on its final possession.
.@YaleMBasketball WITH THE GAME-WINNER AT THE BUZZER TO WIN THE IVY LEAGUE TOURNAMENT 🤩
— CBS Sports College Basketball 🏀 (@CBSSportsCBB) March 17, 2024
Yale outscored Brown 8-1 in the final 22 seconds to win it by 1.
🎥: @espn pic.twitter.com/XZZU1s9Emu
Mbeng located Knowling, who was wide open near the basket as the final seconds ticked off the clock. Knowling got the shot off just in time and was mobbed by his teammates in celebration. The outcome denied Brown a storybook ending to a great turnaround. The Bears stood at 6-17 on Feb. 16 before beginning a winning streak that would have grown to eight with a win Sunday.
