Brown To Host Holy Cross Monday Night
Wednesday, March 12, 2014
“Our program is thrilled about the opportunity to continue practicing and playing in the postseason,” said Brown head coach Mike Martin. “”We believe this will greatly benefit our future while also serving as tangible evidence of the progress we are making and the hard work of our players.”
Brown will play at home in the postseason for the first time ever and will be making its fifth postseason appearance. Brown previously played in the 1939 NCAA Tournament, the 1986 NCAA Tournament, the 2003 National Invitation Tournament (NIT) and the 2009 College Basketball Invitational (CBI).
Martin’s team compiled a 15-13 record, the seventh highest number of wins in Brown history. None of the Bears 13 losses were by double digits, with its largest defeat a nine-point loss (75-66) vs. Rhode Island. Seven of Brown’s losses were by five points or less, including an overtime loss to NCAA-bound Harvard to close the regular season.
Senior guard Sean McGonagill (Brookfield, IL), a two-time First Team All-Ivy selection, is Brown’s third all-time leading scorer with 1,608 career points. He set Brown career records for treys (247) and games started (113), and established a Brown single season record for treys (91). He ranked second in the Ivy League in scoring with 17.7 points per game.
Sophomore forward Cedric Kuakumensah (Worcester, MA) was named the Ivy League’s Defensive Player of the Year for the second straight season after shattering his own Brown record for blocked shots in a season with 90, two short of the Ivy League record. Junior forward Rafael Maia (Sao Paulo, Brazil) led the Ivy League in rebounding for the second straight season with 8.1 rebounds per game.
Three Brown freshmen earned Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors a school record 10 times this season – forward Leland King (four times) from Inglewood, CA, guard Steven Spieth (three times) from Dallas, TX, and guard Norman Hobbie (three times) from Spring Lake, NJ. In addition, freshman Tavon Blackmon (Upper Marlboro, MD) started 26-of-27 games and played nearly 30 minutes per game.
Holy Cross will be making its 25th postseason tournament appearance in school history, and the first since the 2006-2007 season. Holy Cross has previously played in the NCAA Tournament 12 times and the National Invitation Tournament on 12 occasions.
Holy Cross stands 19-13 overall this season, and placed third in the Patriot League with a 12-6 mark in conference games. The Crusaders also advanced to the semifinals of the Patriot League Tournament, before falling at American 57-46. Holy Cross' 19 victories this year are its most since going 25-9 in 2006-2007.
Tickets are priced at $10, with Brown students free with ID, and are on sale starting Thursday morning at 9am. Purchase online and print at home by going to brownbears.com. Fans can also call the Brown ticket office at 401-863-2773, or stop by the Pizzitola Sports Center Ticket office between 9am and 4pm.
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