Brown Beats Bryant 67-60

Brown Beats Bryant 67-60

The Brown Bears and Bryant Bulldogs showed up at the Chace Athletic Center in Smithfield Monday night in need of a win. After 40 minutes of basketball, Brown prevailed 67-60.

Things started well for the home team as Bryant raced out to a 13-point lead 28-15 just over midway through the first half. The Bulldogs hit four three pointers during that stretch including a pair from Corey Maynard (15 points).

But the Bears clamped down on the defensive end and started to heat up offensively in the final 9 minutes of the first half. Brown went on a 23-8 run which included four triples of their own. Junior Stephen Albrecht nailed two of them and scored 10 of his game-high 21 points during that stretch to put the Bears up 38-36 at half.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

As well as Brown’s defense played to close the first half, it played even better in the game’s final 20 minutes holding Bryant to just 24 second half points on 32% shooting (10-31) from the field.

A big part of Brown’s defense was the presence of junior big man Andrew McCarthy. McCarthy’s effort was spectacular on both ends of the floor. And while he finished with 15 points, McCarthy seemed to have more than the 9 rebounds and 2 blocked shots credited to him. None the less, he was a defensive force in the paint blocking and altering Bulldog shot attempts for almost the entire second half.

“Andrew played with a lot of energy,” said Brown coach Jesse Agel. “He’s come so far from where he was as a freshman and now anticipates things well and sees things two steps ahead before they happen.”

Sophomore point guard Sean McGonagill had another solid night with 15 points, 7 assists and 5 rebounds. Bryant was paced by leading scorer Alex Francis who finished the game with 17 points and 6 boards.

The win lifted the Bears to (6-13) overall while Bryant falls to (2-18). Brown hosts Dartmouth Friday night at 7pm and 23rd-ranked Harvard Saturday night at 6pm. Bryant hosts Fairleigh Dickinson Thursday at 7pm and Monmouth Saturday at 4pm.

NOTES:

-Another day, another injured Bear! Brown freshman guard Longi Yiljep was not in uniform Monday night after he reaggravated his turf toe injury which kept him out of the line-up earlier this season. Yiljep hopes to return to the line-up for Brown’s Ivy League games this weekend.

-Brown football turned basketball player Telef Lundevall provided a big spark off the bench in the Bears’ first half rally. Lundevall scored a quick five points on a 15-foot jumper and a three. He also forced a pair of turnovers on the defensive end by anticipating Bryant passes.

-Bryant coach Tim O’Shea doesn’t want to wish away this season but the Bulldogs head coach is looking forward to next season for a variety of reasons. First, it will be Bryant’s fifth year of division one play meaning that they will be eligible to participate in the NEC’s conference tournament and for postseason play. O’Shea is also high on a pair of transfers who will be eligible next season. 6’-2” guard Dyami Starks is a transfer from Columbia University who averaged just under 5 points per game as a freshman for the Lions. Also, 6’-4” guard Joe O’Shea (the nephew of Tim O’Shea) is a transfer from Holy Cross who led his high school in Burlington, Vermont to an 89-5 record in his four years as a member of the varsity team. O’Shea is said to be a very good shooter.