Brown Wins Easily Over D3 Daniel Webster
Saturday, January 11, 2014
Freshman guard Norman Hobbie scored a career high 20 points to lead six Brown players in double figures in a 91-50 win over Daniel Webster Saturday afternoon at the Pizzitola Sports Center. The Bears improve to 8-6 overall in their final tune-up next Saturday’s Ivy League opener at Yale, while Daniel Webster falls to 10-2.
Brown’s eight non-league wins are just one short of the school record of nine non-league victories by the Bears’ 2001-2001 team, who featured current Brown head coach Mike Martin.
Four of the six double figure scorers for the Bears were freshmen – Hobbie, forward Leland King, guard Matty Madigan and forward Steven Spieth.
Hobbie connected on 6-of-13 shots from behind the three-point arc, 7-of-14 overall, while also pulling down a season high four rebounds.
“I felt really comfortable shooting the ball today,” said Hobbie. “After shooting poorly in our last game (1-of-9 against New Hampshire), the guys were looking for me all week in practice. I needed to come out strong and keep shooting.”
King and junior forward Dockery Walker each registered 17 points for the Bears. King came off the bench to connect on 7-of-9 field goals. Walker’s points came on 8-of-14 shooting from the field, while he just missed a double-double with nine rebounds.
Senior guard Sean McGonagill, the Ivy League’s top scorer, just missed a triple double with 10 points, a career high 12 assists and seven rebounds.
“If Sean doesn’t set the Brown all-time record for assists you can blame me for moving him off the ball this season,” said Brown head coach Mike Martin. “With an injury to starting point guard Tavon Blackmon, Sean returned to the point seamlessly and really stepped up.”
Madigan’s 12 points, four assists and three steals were career highs, while he connected on 4-of-5 field goals. Spieth netted 11 points and pulled down seven rebounds.
Daniel Webster was led by Kevin Perez, who scored 13 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
The Bears led from start to finish, opening up a 17-6 lead at the 11:25 mark on a McGonagill trey. Four minutes later, a steal and a coast-to-coast layup by Madigan gave the Bears a 29-16 lead.
Brown’s biggest lead came at the half, 44-22, on a dunk by Walker just before the buzzer.
The second half was much of the same with the Bears’ starters sitting out the final nine minutes.
Brown opens its Ivy League season and the league’s 14-game playoffs for the league title and an NCAA Tournament bid on Saturday, January 18, traveling to New Haven, Conn., to face Yale. Tip-off is 2:00 pm at Payne Whitney Gymnasium.
