Brown Beats Cornell for First Ivy League Win

Brown senior guard Zach Hunsaker (North Salt lake City, UT) scored 15 of his game high 20 points in the first half to power the Bears past Cornell, 74-63, in an Ivy League game at the Pizzitola Sports Center.

The win evens Brown’s record at 8-8 overall, 1-2 in the Ivy League, while Cornell falls to 4-12 overall, 1-2 in Ivy play.

“It’s never easy to win a league game and Cornell came in with a good game plan and played hard,” said Brown head coach Mike Martin. “We dictated the game with our defensive intensity. We really wanted to get on the offensive glass and got it done with 14 offensive rebounds and a 40-30 rebound advantage.”

Hunsaker connected on 5-of-7 field goals, including 4-of-5 from beyond the 3-point arc, while hitting 6-of-6 free throws and making three steals.

Bears’ sophomore Jaylan Gainey (Greensboro, NC) scored 12 points and matched his career high with eight rebounds. The 6-10 center connected on 6-of-6 field goals with five dunks and a tip-in.

Junior Tamenang Choh (Lowell, MA) tossed in 14 points for the Bears and grabbed six rebounds, while freshman Dan Friday (Detroit, MI) chipped in with nine points and matched his career high with five rebounds.

Cornell’s Josh Warren paced the Big Red, scoring 13 of his team high 17 points in the first half. Jimmy Boeheim, the Ivy League’s third leading scorer had 12 points for the Big Red and added eight rebounds. Terrance McBride (11) and Bryan Knapp (10) also scored in double figures for Cornell.

Brown got off to a slow start and trailed 30-23 with 6:48 remaining after a trey by Cornell’s Bryan Knapp.

The Bears went on a 12-0 run to pull ahead by five points, 35-30, following two free throws by Friday with 3:54 left in the half.

Brown held a 41-36 lead at the half and outscored the Big Red, 14-4, to open the second half and pull ahead by 15 points, 55-40, at the 13:01 mark following a layup by freshman Perry Cowan (Chicago, IL).

The closest Cornell goy down the stretch was eight points, 66-58, with 1:52 left in the game on two free throws by McBride.

Brown will look to complete the Ivy weekend sweep tomorrow (Saturday) with a home match-up against Columbia. Tip-off on ESPN+ and NESNplus is 6:00 pm at the Pizzitola Sports Center.