PROVIDENCE, R.I. – On a night that was all about the seniors, the play on the court followed the pregame ceremony for Brown. It was Senior Night, and while it’s easy to look at Brown’s underclassmen and the promise and growth they have shown, the seniors were the focus for more reasons than the obvious in Brown’s 100-76 blowout of Dartmouth.
The seniors played an integral role in the win, starting with Adrian Williams. Hampered at times by a balky knee this season, he shot the lights out en route to 26 points, reminiscent of a game a couple of years ago in the same building when he was 9-11 from the field with seven three-pointers en route to scoring 29 points against Quinnipiac. He’s always had the ability to put up a game like this, and Saturday night was one of those nights.
“When he makes shots, we’re so much better as a team,” said assistant coach T.J. Sorrentine, himself a fine shooter in his playing days. “I kept telling Sean (McGonagill), ‘Find Adrian, find him’, because when he gets in that groove, he can really make shots.”
He wasn’t alone, as Peter Sullivan did what he’s always done and Garrett Leffelman had a nice second half to join Williams in double figures. Sullivan had 17 points and 11 rebounds along with three assists and no turnovers, making all 10 of his free throw attempts. Leffelman scored 11 and also handed out three assists with no turnovers. Only Chris Taylor, who was never a player that contributed largely by scoring, didn’t reach double figures in 18 good minutes.
“Everybody just did what they’ve been doing since they’ve been here,” said Williams.
Brown has gotten off to hot starts lately, but they haven’t always kept it up. It’s difficult for any team to do, especially when the first half numbers are like what they put up on Saturday night: 59.3 percent from the field, including 8-12 from long range. The Bears still shot just under 45 percent in the second half, and they continued to play good defense against a Dartmouth team that has some good individual talent but had a lot of possessions with very little movement without the ball. They also had a 40-33 rebounding edge, although they did allow 15 second-chance points. Defense and rebounding have been the keys for this team, as the offense has been fine while they have been inconsistent at the other end of the floor.
The younger players followed the cue of the seniors and showed what Brown fans have to look forward to. McGonagill had 14 points and handed out nine assists with no turnovers, while Tucker Halpern closed out a good month of February with 12 points, five rebounds and two assists. Halpern’s good friend Andrew McCarthy didn’t have big numbers, but his four rebounds and four blocked shots all helped, and he’s playing more like the active forward he’s always been capable of.
“I’m not worried about them at all, I know they’re going to be a good team,” Williams said of his younger teammates. “It’s young and talented, I look forward to watching them play.”
With 4:36 left, Agel took his seniors out to a nice ovation from the crowd. Fittingly, the Bears reached 100 points for the night on a fast break basket by a player at the opposite end of his college career in freshman Dockery Walker. The night for Walker and other young players will come, but as has been the case most of the season, on Saturday night the young players took their cues from the seniors.
(Feb. 28 teleconference) “
