The men’s basketball team (3-1) defeated Johnson and Wales University (0-2) 98-47 during a home game at the Pizzitola Sports Center Nov. 16. Scoring 19 points with 8/10 shooting, forward Jaylan Gainey ’22 had an impressive showing that helped Bruno secure its win.
Forward Nana Owusu-Anane ’25 scored 13 points and seven rebounds, while Ivy League Rookie of the Week Kino Lilly Jr. ’25 continued his momentum from his 22-point effort last game with 10 points, two rebounds and two assists. Dan Friday ’24 added six assists, the most from an individual player during the game.
The Bears were also dominant on the glass, out-rebounding Johnson and Wales 54-27. Malachi Ndur ’24 had eight rebounds — the highest among all the match’s players.
While the Wildcats led in the beginning of the game 8-4, Brown came back with the next 22 points and assumed a dominant 26-8 lead with just nine minutes of the first half remaining. Brown continued to run up the score, closing the first half leading 53-19 after a 49-11 run.
Brown showed off their depth as Kimo Ferrari ’24 came off the bench for the Bears with eight points and two assists. He sparked the Bears’ offense in the first half with Lilly Jr. as they went 5/7 from the field and 4/6 from beyond the arc to secure a Bruno lead.
The Bears picked up where they left off to start the second half and surged to a 78-29 lead midway through the period. After outscoring the Wildcats 45-28 in the second half, the Bears finished the game ahead 98-47. The Bears went 33/73 from the field and 24/26 from the free throw line, dominating Johnson and Wales in the paint 50-20.
Gainey credited Brown’s success to its cohesion on the offensive end and high pressure on the defensive end. “Teammates are passing the ball well and scoring off transition,” he said. “We kept high energy on defense, which kept everything flowing.”
Bruno displayed its chemistry with a Perry Cowan ’23 dunk to start off the second half, assisted by Lilly, and four slam dunk connections between Gainey and Friday.
Head coach Mike Martin ’04 praised his team’s efforts, noting his confidence in the squad as they head into a Friday contest against Creighton University (3-0). “We (face) a program that has been to the Sweet 16 and (been) Big East champions recently, so it’ll be a challenge,” Martin said. “I have confidence every day in what I see in our team and I know they’ll be ready for it. These guys are competitors and they are awaiting the opportunity to play Creighton.”
The Bears will next compete in the Paradise Jam tournament in the U.S. Virgin Islands. Their first round matchup will be Friday at 5:15 p.m. against Creighton. Then, Brown could face either Bradley University (1-2) or Colorado State University (3-0) in the following round.
“I’m excited for the opportunity to compete at a high level (in) the Virgin Islands,” Owusu-Anane said.
Editor’s Note: A previous version of this story contained passages with identical or nearly identical language to a news article on the official Brown Athletics website. These portions have since been revised. An Editors’ Note explaining this and other changes can be found here.
