The men’s basketball team (0-3) lost away from home to Loyola University Maryland (1-2) in the first-ever matchup between the teams Sunday evening.
Both squads were in search of their first victory of the season after starting the year with two losses. Despite strong shooting from the Bears, who shot 59.1% from the field, the Greyhounds prevailed in their home opener, beating Bruno 75-70.
Brown is now sixth in the Ivy League basketball standings and is tied with Columbia and Penn at 0-3. In the Ivy League’s preseason poll, Brown took sixth place, ahead of Dartmouth and Columbia.
Preparing for the opening tipoff, starters Kalu Anya ’26, Nana Owusu-Anane ’25, Kino Lilly Jr. ’25, Dan Friday ’24 and Paxson Wojcik ’23 lined the center circle. After winning the opening tip, Wojcik provided an immediate spark to the offense, starting the game with a side-step three-pointer.
Ten minutes in, Bruno held a slim 14-12 advantage. Scores by Lilly — the reigning Ivy League Rookie of the Year — and Friday pushed the Bears’ advantage to 18-15. But a 7-0 run by Loyola gave the Greyhounds a 22-18 lead.
With the two teams tied at 30 apiece with 2:50 remaining in the half, a free throw and a layup by the Greyhounds gave them a 33-30 lead. En route to the rim, Aaron Cooley ’25 drew a foul and hit one free throw, while consecutive scores by Owusu-Anane — a lay-up in the post and a pair of free throws — propelled Brown to a narrow 35-34 lead entering the half.
Wojcik gave the Bears a boost in the first half, tallying nine points, two steals, seven rebounds and four assists in the game’s first 20 minutes. In the half, the Bears shot 13-for-20 from the field and 3-for-6 from beyond the arc to Loyola’s 10-for-28 and 4-for-12, respectively.
Entering the second half, ball movement by the Bears quickly led to a deep three for Wojcik, igniting Brown’s offense.. Three-pointers by Lilly and Perry Cowan ’23 extended Bruno’s lead to 46-43. But after Brown took a 48-43 lead, the Greyhounds responded with a 10-0 run to put Loyola ahead by five. Despite a Lilly jumper drawing Brown within four points with a few minutes remaining, the Greyhounds pulled away, and a late three-pointer sealed their 75-70 victory.
Over the course of the game, Brown shot 26-for-44 from the field and 7-for-15 from the three-point arc, compared to Loyola’s 21-for-50 and 9-for-21, respectively. Brown also led in rebounds and assists, but struggled with turnovers, giving the ball away 23 times to the Greyhounds’ 16. They also performed poorly at the free-throw line, going 11-for-30.
Friday led the Bears’ scoring with 15 points on 5-for-6 shooting, chipping in four assists and a pair of steals. Wojcik earned a double-double, tallying 12 points and 10 rebounds while adding five assists and two steals over 38 minutes. All five Brown starters put up double-figure points.
Wojcik felt “pretty disappointed with the outcome of the game,” he wrote in a message to The Herald. “We didn’t play our best basketball by any means. It is really hard to win basketball games when you turn the ball over and don’t make your free throws.”
“We will learn from and be better because of it,” he added.
In a statement to Brown Athletics, Head Coach Mike Martin ’04 said that the team “certainly had our chances but too many possessions where we came up empty — whether it was turnovers or missed free throws. We will learn from this and grow.”
The Bears will look to get a win for the first time this season when they take on Stony Brook University (1-1) at the Pizzitola Sports Center Thursday at 7 p.m.
