Brown Beats Binghamton 74-57 In Opener
Monday, November 11, 2013
Senior guard Sean McGonagill (Brookfield, IL) scored 22 points and junior forward Rafael Maia (Sao Paulo, Brazil) added 14 points to lead Brown to a 74-57 season opening win over Binghamton (1-1) Sunday afternoon at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
McGonagill, a first team All-Ivy selection last year, got hot from beyond the three-point arc, connecting on 4-of-6 treys. He missed his first three free throws, but came back to hit seven consecutive free throws down the stretch. McGonagill was 7–of-10 from the field overall.
Brown got 44 of its points in the paint, led by Maia, the Ivy League’s top rebounder in 2013, who just missed a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds.
Brown freshman Cedric Kuakumensah (Worcester, MA), the Ivy League’s Defensive Player of the Year, picked up where he left off a year ago and led the Bears with 14 rebounds, nine points and six blocked shots. His six blocks are just one short of his own school record.
“Cedric and Raffa really anchored our defense,” said head coach Mike Martin. “I’m pleased with our performance, but we have a lot of new players and a lot to work on in practice.”
The Bears had three freshmen see significant playing time. Tavon Blackmon (Upper Marlboro, MD) scored nine points, while Steven Spieth (Dallas, TX) and Leland King (Inglewood, CA) netted six points each for the Bears.
The Bearcats were led by Marlon Beck with 13 points and Yosef Yacob with 12 points.
Brown jumped out to an early 15-9 lead on a dunk by King with 14:40 left in the opening half. The Bobcats inched back in the game and took a 25-24 lead with 3:33 left in the half on two free throws by Alex Ogundadegbe.
Brown went on a 12-3 run to open up a 37-27 advantage on a trey by McGonagill with just 32 seconds left on the clock. A layup by Binghamton’s Beck with one second left on the clock cut Brown’s lead to 37-29 at intermission.
The Bears outscored the Bearcats 13-4 to open the second half and build a 50-33 lead when King scored on a layup with 15 minutes left in the game.
The Bearcats clawed back into the game, pulling to within seven points, 54-47, with 10:53 remaining. But the Bears slowly pulled away to put the game out of reach.
Brown returns to the hardwood on Wednesday, November 13, traveling across town to face Providence College at the Dunkin Donuts Center. The game will be televised live on Fox Sports Net starting at 7:00 p.m.
