Bulldogs Snap Skid in Providence, Open Ivy League Play With Win
PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Craig Robinson didn’t see this one coming. Not from practice, not from prior games – no signs.
“We looked scared from the first minute of the game, and I was caught off-guard, really caught off-guard,” the Brown head coach said after his team lost 56-42 to Yale on Saturday night.
Yale was in control of the game throughout, scoring 12 unanswered points after Brown scored the first two. They built up a 30-15 lead before Brown scored the last six points of the first half and the first six of the second half, but the Bulldogs responded with the next 10 points and never led by single digits after that.
Yale dominated the game on the stat sheet, especially in the specialty stats. They beat the Bears on the glass by a 34-19 margin, allowing just one offensive rebound the entire game. They cashed in the Bears’ 18 turnovers for 21 points (the Bulldogs had 18 of their own, a nagging issue this season), had 14 second-chance points and a 30-20 edge in points in the paint.
The win snapped a four-game losing streak for the Bulldogs at Brown. Since they typically begin Ivy League play with the Bears, it’s also a change to how they start their league season. That becomes more important in light of their tough non-conference schedule not giving them much chance to get any momentum.
“It seemed like forever since the last time we won here,” said head coach James Jones. “It’s hard to build momentum with our schedule. You win a game and you play UMass; you win a game and you play Boston College. Now’s the time to start building.”
The Bulldogs’ seniors led the way as Casey Hughes had a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds while adding four steals, and Sam Kaplan had 10 points on 5-5 shooting and five rebounds. Kaplan hasn’t practiced or played much in the last month due to an ankle injury and a broken nose, but had a solid effort on Saturday.
“I thought he did an excellent job of being around the basket and finishing all the opportunities he had,” Jones said of Kaplan.
Junior guard Eric Flato struggled shooting the ball, as he went 2-9 from the field, but he ran the team well with six assists and one turnover. He let others like Travis Pinick and Nick Holmes, both of whom went 2-3 from long range, pick up the shooting slack and got the ball inside.
“That’s what Flato is really good at – if he’s not shooting the ball particularly well, he notices it and tries to do other things,” said Kaplan.
For Brown, junior Mark McAndrew was the only player in double figures with a game-high 18 points on 5-8 shooting. They shot under 40 percent from the field, struggling mightily at the offensive end. Robinson feels that the team has grasped his offensive system for the most part, and offense isn’t his big concern.
“We don’t have any problem getting wide-open shots, we just missed them,” he reflected.
Both teams will face off again next Saturday in New Haven.
Other Notable Games
Virginia Tech 94, North Carolina 88: In case anyone thought last Saturday’s win at Duke was just a fluke, the Hokies took out the Tar Heels.
UCLA 65, USC 64: The Trojans led for a good chunk of the game, but never put the Bruins away. UCLA won in front of the largest crowd ever at the Galen Center.
Florida 85, South Carolina 50: This game just goes to show that if the Gators are healthy, they are the team to beat. A 34-point win on a good team’s home court (although the Gamecocks have now lost three straight) is proof positive.
Maryland 92, Clemson 87: The last undefeated team loses for the first time as five Terrapins score in double figures.
Ohio State 68, Tennessee 66: The Buckeyes did what they were supposed to do: take advantage of Greg Oden’s presence. Against a small Volunteers team, the freshman big man had 24 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks as they pulled out a close one.
Pittsburgh 74, Georgetown 69: A solid win for the Panthers to stay unbeaten in Big East play.
Marquette 81, West Virginia 63: The Golden Eagles have started to get going, picking up two good wins in a row.
Boston College 78, Virginia 73: Not the prettiest win, but the Eagles are 4-0 in the ACC and on top after Clemson and North Carolina both lost on Saturday.
Air Force 58, Wyoming 56: Jacob Burtschi surely hasn’t scored two bigger points than he did as time expired to give the Falcons a good road win to go to 17-1 overall.
California 77, Washington 69 (OT): A good win for the Golden Bears, especially fresh off a home loss on Thursday night. The Huskies, meanwhile, didn’t find the Bay Area to their liking as they also lost at Stanford.
Stanford 71, Washington State 68 (OT): Meanwhile, the Cardinal took both games this weekend. They appear to be hitting their stride as they have now won three straight.
Louisville 78, Providence 63: Providence loses its first Big East road game in Sharaud Curry’s return to the lineup. The time off clearly hurt Curry, as he didn’t practice with the team until Friday and went 4-17 with six turnovers in this game.
Southern Illinois 76, Missouri State 56: A nice win for the Salukis against a very good team. Randal Falker is playing well, leading the way with 23 points after two straight double-doubles.
Northeastern 84, Hofstra 74: Just two nights after Hofstra picked up a big overtime win at Drexel, the Huskies take out the Pride in Boston for the second year in a row.
Old Dominion 84, Drexel 57: All of a sudden, the Dragons have gone from being an apparent favorite in the CAA to being in fourth place with two straight losses. This is a solid win for the Monarchs in Norfolk.
VCU 85, Towson 77: VCU is now the only undefeated team in CAA play, as Anthony Grant’s team just keeps winning.
Vermont 75, Albany 66: The Catamounts win an early America East showdown and spoil a great game from Albany guard Jason Siggers, who had a career-high 34 points. Vermont has now won seven straight and is the lone undefeated team in America East play.
UMass 88, Temple 77: UMass is alone atop the Atlantic 10 with a 3-0 mark after this win.
Rhode Island 86, Saint Joseph’s 81: A big win for the Rams, who are the surprise team near the top of the Atlantic 10 standings. With this win, the young Rams are 3-1 and just a half game behind UMass.
Illinois-Chicago 79, Loyola (IL) 73: Another emotional win for the Flames, who knocked off Butler earlier in the week as head coach Jimmy Collins recovers.
Wichita State 58, Evansville 56: The Shockers needed this one after losing six of seven. Having Sean Ogirri back in the lineup after a three-game suspension certainly didn’t hurt.
Boston University 53, New Hampshire 29: Don’t look now, but the Terriers are coming alive. This is their third straight win, while the Wildcats couldn’t carry over their play from Thursday night’s win.
Army 64, Lehigh 59: The Black Knights get a good win against one of the Patriot League’s better teams.
Cal State Northridge 90, Long Beach State 83: No one will go undefeated in Big West play this season, as preseason favorite Long Beach State had been 2-0.
