PROVIDENCE — The door seemed to be open for Brown.
Princeton looked there for the taking in the second half Saturday night. The Tigers stalled on offense and the Bears enjoyed three possessions to either tie or grab the lead at Pizzitola Center.
That key made shot never came, and whatever opportunity the hosts had for a weekend Ivy League sweep was gone. Matt Allocco’s conventional three-point play and Xaivian Lee’s slash across the lane stabilized the visitors, and they eventually took command on the way to a 70-60 victory.
Princeton clung to a 55-53 lead for nearly three minutes before Allocco’s offensive rebound and putback with 5:36 to play. Brown had just one more chance to make it a one-possession game, but a shot clock violation scuttled it. Lee’s hard drive off the right wing opened a 60-55 advantage with 4:00 left and the Bears were just about done.
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“They made a couple big-time offensive and defensive rebounds in a tight game,” Brown coach Mike Martin said. “Allocco with the three-point play at 55-53 – he got a huge rebound.”
Kino Lilly Jr. fired home a deep 3-pointer from the left wing with 8:16 left to cut Brown’s deficit to two. Aaron Cooley rimmed out a transition 3-pointer from the right corner, Lilly’s floater in the lane was swatted aside and Kimo Ferrari was just short on another 3-pointer from the left wing. Those next three empty trips gave the Tigers enough time to shake off their own offensive funk.
“Kimo’s three was a great look,” Martin said. “Cooley’s three in the corner was a great look in transition. If either of those go down, I’m not saying it changes the game. But now you’re playing in front.”
Allocco hit both ends of a 1-and-1 chance with 1:35 left and Caden Pierce hit another pair of free throws with 40.7 seconds to play. Princeton displayed the fine details of a team that upset its way to the Sweet 16 in last year’s NCAA Tournament – 20-for-21 at the line and a defense that held the Bears to just 32.8% from the field.
“You have to credit their guys,” Martin said. “Obviously some very key players from a successful team. Really well coached.”
Brown (6-15, 2-4 Ivy League) was coming off a win against Penn while the Tigers (16-3, 4-2) fell to Yale in front of a sellout road crowd the previous night. Princeton was tied or led for more than 36 minutes, but the Bears were never completely out of touch. Ferrari’s 3-pointer from the right wing made it a 46-46 deadlock early in the second half and Brown shrugged off a following 7-0 run to get back in contact.
“It’s frustrating,” Martin said. “There are only 14 of these games. You can’t get them back, and it goes fast.”
Lee led three Tigers in double figures with 20 points while Pierce collected 13 points and 14 rebounds. Allocco added 13 points on 5-for-8 shooting from 2-point range – Princeton finished at 57.1% inside the arc, a shade above the top-15 national mark it carried into the game.
Nana Owusu-Anane matched Lee with 20 points to top the Bears. Lilly was turnover-free in 37 minutes but needed 17 shots to reach his 15 points. Ferrari added 11 points off the bench on 3-for-8 shooting from deep and chipped in six rebounds.
“We continue to get better,” Martin said. “Obviously you’ve got to protect your home court, and we haven’t necessarily done that.”
bkoch@providencejournal.com
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PRINCETON (70): Martini 2-9 0-0 6, Pierce 2-6 9-9 13, Allocco 5-9 3-3 13, Lee 7-14 4-5 20, Peters 3-4 0-0 8, Davis 1-2 2-2 4, Scott 1-3 2-2 4, Byriel 1-3 0-0 2, Huggins 0-0 0-0 0. Totals 22-50 20-21 70. BROWN (60): Anya 2-10 3-4 7, Owusu-Anane 7-10 4-5 20, Kloman 0-0 0-0 0, Lilly 5-17 2-2 15, Cooley 3-12 0-0 7, Ferrari 4-10 0-0 11, Ndur 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 21-64 9-11 60.
Halftime_Princeton 30-28. 3-Point Goals_Princeton 6-22 (Peters 2-3, Lee 2-5, Martini 2-8, Allocco 0-1, Scott 0-1, Byriel 0-2, Pierce 0-2), Brown 9-32 (Ferrari 3-8, Lilly 3-8, Owusu-Anane 2-2, Cooley 1-8, Ndur 0-1, Anya 0-4). Fouled Out_Anya, Owusu-Anane. Rebounds_Princeton 33 (Pierce 14), Brown 28 (Anya 9). Assists_Princeton 6 (Pierce 4), Brown 10 (Owusu-Anane, Kloman, Lilly, Cooley, Ferrari 2). Total Fouls_Princeton 13, Brown 19. A_1,350 (2,800).
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Brown basketball loses to Princeton, 70-60, on Saturday, Feb. 2
