Brown Holds Off St. Peter’s, Win Opener 70-58
Saturday, November 15, 2014
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Photo Courtesy of Brownbears.com
The Brown University Bears (1-0) opened their season on Friday night by defeating the St. Peter's Peacocks (0-1) 70-58 at the PIzzitola Center.
The Bears went up 44-32 early in the second half and were able to hold on to the lead as the Peacocks made multiple runs, cutting their deficit to as low as eight points.
The Bears were led by sophomore guard Tavon Blackmon who posted 18 points in the game to lead all scorers. Blackmon went eight for eight from the free throw line and four for seven from the field to lift Brown to a season opening victory.
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Junior Cedric Kuakumensah added 15 points and blocked three shots to help the Bears in their win. Kuakmensah, a two time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year, is currently one block shy of the Brown all-time record.
The Peacocks were led in the game by forward Welton Quadir who scored 16 points, and Dominque Marvin who grabbed eight rebounds in the loss.
The Brown Bears stay home for a Monday night matchup with Northwestern of the Big Ten Conference.
Click here for tickets.
Related Slideshow: Brown Bears 2014-2015 Projected Starting Lineup
The Brown Bears are back for their 109th season and looking to build off the success they had last year. One question they will have to answer however is how will they replace Sean McGonagill, their leading scorer from last season? Here is the 2014-2015 Brown Bears projected Starting Lineup.
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Guard- Tavon Blackmon
Tavon Blackmon is a six foot sophomore who started in 27 of 28 games as a freshman. Blackmon averaged 3.5 assists per game while playing solid defense and scoring the ball as well. With McGonagill lost to graduation, Blackmon will be expected to contribute a little more in the scoring department.
One thing he has to do is cut down on his turnovers. He turned the ball over 72 times last year and had an assist to turnover ratio of one to four. One assist for every four turnovers.
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Guard- Steven Spieth
Steven Spieth who last year won the Ivy League rookie of the week three times. The 6'6" Spieth started all 29 games for the Bears last season and averaged 5.5 rebounds and eight points per game. Steven Spieth also enjoys going to the free throw line as last season he had the second best free throw percentage in the Ivy league.
Steven Spieth will be one of the focul points of the Bears offense this season.
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Forward- Rafael Maia
Senior Rafael Maia leads a talented group of forwards for the Bears this season. Last season, the 6'9" Maia averaged eight rebounds per game which led the Ivy League for the second consecutive year. Maia started 22 games last year for the Bears, missing seven due to injury and posted five double-doubles in the season. He is very tough to guard in the low post because of his size and does have a nice touch around the rim, averaging 9.5 points per game a season ago.
Photo courtesy of Brownbears.com
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Forward- Leyland King
Leland King, 6'7" sophomore who won the Ivy League Rookie of the Week four times last season. In this year's preseason, King was named by Sports Ilustrated as one of the top five sophomores in the nation to have a breakout year. A season ago, King averaged 9.6 points per game and 17.5 points and seven rebounds in the last six games of the season.
King will be one of the go to guys on this Brown squad, expect to see a big year out of him.
Photo courtesy of Brownbears.com
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Forward- Cedric Kuakumensah
Cedric Kuakumensah is a 6'9" junior who has developed into one of the best, if not the best, defensive players in the Ivy League. Last season, he set a new Ivy league record with 93 blocked shots which translates to a little over three blocks per game. Kuakumensah has 159 blocked shots in his career. When opponents do get shots off, he is there to clean up the rebound. He averaged 7.2 rebounds per game last season. Kaukumensah has been a defensive force for the Bears and it will continue this season.
He can score points as well. Last season, Cedric Kuakumensah averaged nine points per game which was fourth best on the team.
Photo courtesy of Brownbears.com
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6th man- JR Hobbie
JR Hobbie is a 6'4" sophomore guard who last season ranked fifth in the Ivy League in three-point field goals. He also won Ivy League rookie of the week three times. Last season he averaged six points per game for the Bears.
This season his role will likely increase and don't be surprised to see him check in late in the game when a three-pointer is needed.
Photo courtesy of Brownbears.com
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