PRINCETON, N.J. – Ivy League men’s basketball league play began Saturday afternoon with Cornell, Dartmouth, Princeton and Yale opening in the win column.
 
YALE 79, BROWN 58
Yale (8-6, 1-0 Ivy) closed the game on a 28-10 run to pull away from Brown (8-6, 0-1 Ivy) in a rematch of last season’s Ivy Madness final at the John J. Lee Amphitheater in New Haven, Conn. Four Yale players scored in double figures, led by Nick Townsend and Casey Simmons who both had 18 points. Townsend added eight rebounds, three assists, a block and a steal. Lyndel Erold led Brown with 15 points, on 5-of-8 shooting.
 
CORNELL 94, COLUMBIA 83
Cornell (9-5, 1-0 Ivy) shot 63.3 percent from the field and 51.9 percent from 3-point range, as it ran past Columbia (11-3, 0-1 ivy) at Levien Gymnasium in New York. Cooper Noard and Jacob Beccles combined for 11 of the Big Red’s 14 3-pointers. Beccles registered a career high 23 points, shooting 8-of-9 from the field and 5-of-5 from beyond the arc. Noard was 7-of-9 from the field and 6-of-8 from 3-point range. Kenny Noland was the Lions leading scorer with 19 points and also dished out six assists.
 
PRINCETON 68, HARVARD 64
Princeton (12-4, 1-0 Ivy) withstood a late push from Harvard (5-9, 0-1 Ivy), winning 68-64 at Lavietes Pavilion in Cambridge, Mass. Six of the last nine meetings between the two schools have been decided by two or fewer possessions. Princeton’s Xaivian Lee led all scorers with 22 points, shooting 8-of-13 from the field. Caden Pierce had nine points, eight rebounds, three steals and an assist. Harvard’s Chandler Piggé posted a double-double with 15 points and 12 rebounds.
 
DARTMOUTH 73, PENN 70
Dartmouth (7-7, 1-0 Ivy) topped Penn (4-10, 0-1 Ivy) 73-70 in tightly contested game at Leede Arena in Hanover, N.H. Dartmouth’s Brandon-Mitchell Day (25) and Ryan Cornish (24) combined for 49 points. Cornish also led the team in rebounds (10), assists (5) and steals. Mitchell-Day recorded eight boards, an assist, a steal and a block. Penn’s Nick Spinoso had 16 points, eight rebounds and three assists.
 
Tickets to Ivy Madness are on sale now. The Ivy League men’s and women’s basketball tournaments will be held at Brown’s Pizzitola Sports Center in Providence from March 14-16. Full information is available at IvyMadness.com.