Bears Ground Eagles 71-34
Saturday, January 12, 2013
Senior Matt Sullivan (18 points) led four Brown players in double figures Saturday as the Bears made quick work of Daniel Webster 71-34 at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
The Bears hosted the division 3 Eagles because they needed an opponent to fill the gap in their schedule before Ivy League play begins next Saturday.
Junior Sean McGonagill had 15 points and 8 assists for Brown while freshman Joe Sharkey registered a double-double with a career-high 10 points and 10 rebounds.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST
But the story of the day for the Bears may have been the return of senior guard Stephen Albrecht. Plagued by a seriious back injury for the past year, the sharp-shooting Albrecht suited up for the first time all season and came off the bench to score 11 points (3-5 from three). Albrecht's return gives head coach Mike Martin another option to go to on what has been an extremely thin bench. If Albrecht's back can hold up to the rigors of playing in games and competing in practice, it could be a big plus for the Bears as they prepare for Ivy play.
As expected, Brown dominated the backboards outrebounding Daniel Wenster 50-25. The Bears also shot the ball well from three-point range going 11-23 (48%). Even more impressive than their offense has been the play of their defense for the past half dozen games.
Considering the circumstances, the Bears finished the non-league portion of their shcedule with an impressive (6-8) record which included high quality wins over Providence College and Niagara.
Next Saturday, Brown will play their Ivy League opener at home against Yale. Tip-off is slated for 7pm.
NOTES:
-Brown played the game without junior forward Tucker Halpern who is battling a stomach bug. The illness has made its way through a few members of the team and the coaching staff.
-Matt Sullivan's three three-pointers lifts his career total to 141 placing him in a tie for 9th with Patrick Powers on Brown's All-time list. He needs one more three-pointer to tie his brother Peter Sullivan's mark of 142 and two to tie his head coach Mike Martin's total of 143. In a light moment after the game when asked about catching his brother and coach, Martin jumped in and said, "I told these guys I was hurt for a while which kept my total down and my teams had a lot more wins than theirs." Martin's comments brought laughs to the post game press conference gathering at Brown and a big smile from Sullivan who acknowledged that he had no comeback for the victory total.
