By Mike Shalin
PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Yale Bulldogs struck another blow for the mid-majors on Thursday.
“It’s a chip on our shoulder for us, just when we stepped out there,” Yale’s Justin Sears said after his 12th-seeded Ivy Leaguers pulled off the first upset of the 2016 NCAA Tournament by stunning fifth-seeded and 21st-ranked Baylor 79-75 in the West Regional.
“You could see that Baylor, they didn’t take us seriously from the start of the game, and we started hitting shots, they realized we’re for real. And that’s with a lot of mid-major teams.”
Yale, making the program’s first NCAA appearance since 1962, posted the first NCAA victory in school history and earned the right to face Duke, a 93-85 winner over North Carolina-Wilmington in the day’s first game, in the round of 32 on Saturday.
For Yale, which got a career-high 31 points from Makai Mason, this is a second shot at Duke, which beat the Bulldogs 80-61 on Nov. 25.
That was a long time ago. Yale has won 18 of its last 19 games and has even endured the loss of team captain John Montague, expelled from school for an on-campus incident. The Bulldogs took every shot that the Bears could dish out but were still standing at the end.
“We’ve done that all year on long … every time it gets tight, someone steps up to get something done, so I have great confidence in my team,” said coach James Jones, whose Bulldogs are 23-0 when leading in the final five minutes.
The Ivy League champion used a 23-10 run in the second half and then survived a wild finish to get another shot at Duke.
Asked his thoughts on Duke, Jones said, “No thoughts at all. I’m too happy. I think I’ll leave the press conference and get something to eat.”
Baylor, eliminated by a lower seed for the second straight year, didn’t go quietly, rallying from 12 down behind Taurean Prince to get as close as one on his 3-pointer with 12.9 seconds left.
The Bears had a chance to tie or win after Nick Victor air-balled the second free throw with 6.8 seconds left. But an out-of-control Lester Medford coughed the ball up and Brandon Sherrod iced the game with two free throws.
Yale, located just down I-95 in New Haven, Conn., had a large fan contingent that erupted at the final horn. The players said they were hoping to play in Providence or Brooklyn and not only got their wish but the win.
Last year, third-seeded Baylor was KO’d by No. 14 Georgia State in the round of 64. Now it’s Yale, led by Mason, a Massachusetts fan growing up near Amherst but not recruited by the Minutemen.
“I thought Mason really controlled the game,” Baylor coach Scott Drew said. “We had a difficult time matching him.”
The win was also the sixth in a row for the Bulldogs (23-6). Baylor finishes 22-12 with five losses in its last seven games.
Mason, who went 11 of 11 from the foul line, registered, according to CBS, a Yale career postseason high.
Sears added 22 points despite second-half foul trouble. Sears missed two free throws with 39.4 seconds remaining and his team up by four, keeping Baylor alive.
Prince finished with 28 points and Johnathan Motley added 15.
“We just got outrebounded (36-32) and they played harder than us for the whole 40 minutes,” said Prince, clearly in no mood to chat.
NOTES: John F. Kennedy was the president the last time Yale played in the NCAA Tournament when the Bulldogs lost to Wake Forest 92-82 at the Palestra in Philadelphia. Wake Forest was led by future broadcasting icon Billy Packer. … Baylor fell to 11-12 in NCAA play. … The Bears join Michigan State and Oklahoma as the only programs in the country ranked in both men’s and women’s basketball and in football. … Yale received a night-before talk from Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, who pointed out she, too, was an underdog who won. … G Ishmail Wainright hit a 3-pointer 2:16 into the game, giving Baylor 800 straight games with at least one trey. The last time the Bears didn’t hit one was Feb. 21, 1990