Miye Oni, Sam Downey lift Yale past Washington

SEATTLE — Miye Oni scored 24 points, Sam Downey added 22 and Yale turned back a furious second-half rally to hold off Washington 98-90 on Sunday in the season opener for both teams.

Yale led 49-35 at half, but Washington battled back within 77-73 on a jumper by highly-touted freshman Markelle Fultz, who finished with 30 points.

The Bulldogs pushed the lead to 88-77 on Oni's 3-pointer from the left corner with 1:24 left.

Washington, which trailed by as many as 20 in the first half, used a 10-2 spurt to pull within 55-47 on David Crisp's breakaway jam with 16:29 remaining.

Oni's layup capped a 15-2 run that put Yale in front 29-11 with 7:48 left in the half. Washington pulled within 38-26 on two free throws by Matisse Thybulle with 2:40 remaining.

The Bulldogs continually worked free underneath in the first half, with 12 assists on their 19 field goals.

Big picture

Washington: With Marquese Chriss and Dejounte Murray both drafted in the first-round of the NBA draft after just one season at Washington, the Huskies have just two players that have been on the roster longer than one season. Sophomore forward Matisse Thybulle is the only returning player who started all 34 games last season.

Yale: The Bulldogs are adjusting to life without junior guard Makia Mason, the team's leading scorer last season. Mason, a first-team All-Ivy selection last season, injured his knee in a closed scrimmage on Nov. 5 with Boston University. He had 31 points in the 12th-seeded Bulldogs' 79-75 victory over No. 5 seed Baylor in the first round of the 2016 NCAA tournament.

Up next

Washington continues its four-game, season-opening stretch at home against Cal State-Fullerton on Thursday.

Yale returns from its one-game cross-country trip to face Lehigh at home, where the Bulldogs were 12-0 last season.

BEST OF OPENING WEEKEND