March Madness hit the Ivy League on Sunday, as Yale used a last-second basket to get by Brown and advance to the NCAA Tournament.
Matt Knowling’s short jumper gave Yale a 62-61 lead over Brown, completing an 8-1 run to end the game by the Bulldogs as Yale just averted an upset at Levien Gymnasium at Columbia University’s Upper Manhattan campus.
Brown led by six points with just 27 seconds left in the second half before Bez Mbeng cut Yale’s deficit to three with a 3-point play with 23 seconds to go.
After Brown’s Nana Owusu-Anane hit one of two free throws, Yale’s John Poulakidas hit a 3-pointer to make it 61-60 with 14 seconds remaining.
Malachi Ndur of Brown followed by missing a pair of free throws, opening the door for Yale to win it on their final possession, which they did on Knowling’s last shot.
It marks the seventh trip to the tournament for Yale, who were the No. 2 seed in the Ivy League.
They are 22-9 on the year.
Brown nearly completed a stunning season turnaround, as the Bears finished the regular season by winning six straight games and then topped No. 1 seed Princeton in the semifinals.
The Bears, 13-18, still haven’t reached the NCAA tournament since 1986.