Albany Tops Brown 74-68
Wednesday, December 11, 2013
Albany connected on 35 free throws in a foul plagued game to come away with a 74-68 win over Brown at the Pizzitola Sports Center. Sam Rowley led the Great Danes with 20 points, connecting on 12-of-15 free throws.
The loss drops Brown to 6-3 overall, heading in to exam break, while Albany extends its record to 5-4 overall.
The game was decided at the free throw line with the two teams combining for 79 total free throws and 59 fouls. Albany had a decided advantage, shooting 76-percent from the charity stripe on 35-of-46 shooting, while Brown connected on just 17-of-33 free throws (51-percent).
“That’s a good team, who won 24 games last year,” said head coach Mike Martin. “We have to be better, especially when playing five freshmen against a physical team like Albany. Albany is physically strong and scouted us extremely well. We have to do a better job preparing ourselves for a full 40 minutes.”
Brown senior Sean McGonagill (Brookfield, IL) led all scorers with 22 points on 8-of 16 from the field, while grabbing five rebounds and handing out four assists.
“Sean has been our team leader all year,” added Martin. “He’s our go-to guy who is ready, willing and able to make shots.”
Freshmen Tavon Blackmon (Upper Marlboro, MD) and Steven Spieth (Dallas, TX) both registered career scoring highs for the Bears, with Blackmon scoring 12 points and Spieth adding 10 points.
Bears’ sophomore forward Cedric Kuakumensah (Worcester, MA), the Ivy League’s Defensive Player of the Year, scored 12 points, blocked five shots and pulled down seven rebounds.
In addition to Rowley’s 20 points for the Great Danes, Gary Johnson scored 16 points on 5-of-10 shooting from the field and 6-of-7 from the free throw line.
Brown trailed 41-27 at the half and made a furious second half comeback to trail by four points, 58-54, with 6:58 remaining after a free throw by junior Dockery Walker, capping a 10-0 Brown run.
The comeback bid continued with a three-point play by Blackmon to cut the Great Danes’ lead to three points, 62-59, with just 2:52 left in the game.
But Albany converted 12-of-14 down the stretch to pull away for the victory.
The Bears struggled on the defensive end in the opening half, trailing Albany by 12 points, 27-15, following a layup by Johnson with 8:22 left in the half. The Great Dames later extended their lead to 18 points, 40-22, with 2:39 remaining in the half on a dunk by Levian Shengelia.
Brown closed the half with a 5-1 run to trail, 41-27, at intermission.
The Bears will be idle for exams until a December 22 matchup with Northwestern in Evanston, IL. Tip-off is 2:00 pm at Welsh-Ryan Arena
