PROVIDENCE — November started with a pair of tough losses and ended with Brown playing some of its best basketball of the young season.
The Bears men roared past Stony Brook in a Wednesday matinee at Pizzitola Center, entering the Thanksgiving holiday on a high.
Brown jumped ahead quickly, extended its lead throughout the first half and withstood a little push from the Seawolves early in the second. The Bears are over .500 for the first time this year thanks to a 77-54 pasting on the East Side.
“I thought we overcame a lot of our mistakes with really good defense,” Brown coach Mike Martin said. “They were not comfortable handling our pressure.”
Aaron Cooley netted eight of his career-high 17 points before the first media timeout and had plenty of company otherwise. Brown notched assists on 14 of its 17 field goals in the opening 20 minutes and had a 43-24 advantage by the break. Stony Brook drew to within 49-36 early in the second half but came no closer.
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“I think the guys coming in off the bench to start that second half really gave us a spark,” Brown wing AJ Lesburt said. “We came out slow.”
The Bears blitzed their way to the lead thanks to some sharpness early. Malcolm Wrisby-Jefferson chased down an offensive rebound and Cooley drilled a 3-pointer on the second chance. Jeremiah Jenkins connected on another 3-pointer out high to make it a 21-5 cushion, and the Seawolves called a timeout at the 12:13 mark.
“(Cooley) set the tone with his energy, his effort,” Martin said. “A couple of key loose balls, some steals, some rebounds, shooting it with confidence.”
Brown went 13-for-33 from deep, the third straight game in which it connected on double-digit makes from beyond the arc. All three of those games have been wins, including an 83-76 fight past Canisius last time out. Lesburt added 16 points and Landon Lewis threatened a triple-double with 12 points and eight rebounds.
“Our ball movement has been really good,” Lesburt said. “We share the ball when we play our best basketball.”
Joe Octave netted a game-high 24 points for Stony Brook (2-5), but the graduate transfer from Holy Cross was short on help. Ben Wight added 17 on perfect 7-for-7 shooting, including a layup with 16:13 left that seemed to offer the visitors some hope. No other Seawolves player connected on more than two field goals, and they finished just 1-for-16 from 3-point range.
“There are a lot of different options out there,” Martin said. “You want to take what the defense gives you. You want to be smart about getting the best shot for us.”
The Bears (4-3) will get a few days off before the nonconference schedule really shows its teeth. Road games at Vermont and Bryant, a home game with Rhode Island and two more trips to Kansas and Kentucky await in December. Brown’s players will scatter for the holiday before their date with the Catamounts on Tuesday.
“Guys are improving,” Martin said. “Guys are getting better.”
bkoch@providencejournal.com
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This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Brown basketball beats Stony Brook, 77-54, playing its best game of season
