Heading into this weekend, Garrett Leffelman '11 had started just three games all season. It didn't show on Friday and Saturday night.
Leffelman scored the men's basketball team's first 14 points of the game on Friday against Dartmouth and had a career-high 16 the following night versus Harvard. Behind Leffelman and Peter Sullivan '11, the night's leading scorer, the Bears defeated Dartmouth, 75-60, before falling to Harvard the following night, 81-67.
Brown 75, Dartmouth 60
Heading into Friday's matchup, Dartmouth was looking to capture its first Ivy League victory, and Brown was hoping for its second.
The players ended up spending nearly as much time on the ground as the ball did, making for a very scrappy game. The fouls added up for both teams, and Brown was able to capitalize, making 33 of 37 free throw attempts.
Following the tip-off, Leffelman was hot from the field. Though he was shut down after his initial spurt, the Bears were able to maintain the lead going into the second half, 39-29.
Sullivan went 14-16 from the line and totaled 23 points to lead all scorers. He also grabbed a team-high 11 rebounds.
Dartmouth crept within 3 points of Brown, 49-46, with 9:54 on the clock, but the Big Green was never able to overtake the Bears.
Matt Mullery '10 added 17 points and 10 rebounds for Brown.
Harvard 81, Brown 67
The Bears took the Pizzitola Center court looking to shut down Harvard's big star, but the Crimson's other weapons blindsided Brown.
Harvard's Jeremy Lin, who is averaging 17.3 points per game, was expected to play a starring role for the Crimson on Saturday night. But with the Brown defense double-teaming him early, Lin was held scoreless in the first half. Every time that he touched the ball, the Bears' student section reminded him of his struggles on the night by chanting "overrated."
"I got in foul trouble. That was my fault," Lin said. "I mean as long as we're taking good shots it doesn't matter who's taking them."
Instead, Harvard's Kyle Casey — last week's Ivy Rookie of the Week — netted a game-high 27 points.
"I thought Kyle Casey was spectacular," said Harvard Head Coach Tommy Amaker. "For a freshman to have the kind of weekend he's had is pretty darn special for us."
The game was tightest in the first half, when there were six lead changes and seven ties.
"Give Brown a lot of credit, they took it right at us, and were effective and got open shots," Amaker said.
Coming out of the locker room after halftime down by three, the Bears took off on a torrid 9-0 run to regain the lead. But they slowly let the game slip away. Harvard was dominant on the boards, posting a 36-19 advantage for the game.
One consistent spot for Brown was Sullivan, who tallied 21 points and six rebounds.
"He played like a man all weekend," said Brown Head Coach Jesse Agel. "He was really tremendous."
