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Brown University
3-6
American
5-3
Second Half Surge Lifts American Over Brown, 66-49
12/3/2014 12:00:00 AM | Men's Basketball
Providence, R.I. – Junior guard Jesse Reed scored a game high 22 points and American's defense held Brown to 28-percent shooting in the second half, as the Eagles came away with a 66-49 win over the Bears at the Pizzitola Sports Center Wednesday evening.
American improves to 5-3 with the win, while Brown falls to 3-6 overall.
"The difference in the game was American's execution on offense and our lack of offensive execution," said Brown head coach Mike Martin. "I thought we had an advantage inside, but couldn't get good shots. American is an NCAA Tournament team with a lot of experience."
Pacing the Bears was junior forward Cedric Kuakumensah, who had 17 points, four rebounds and three blocked shots.
Brown sophomore forward Leland King, the Bears' top scorer coming into the game, registered a double-double, pulling down a career high 13 rebounds and scoring 11 points
Reed's 18 points came on a combination of inside and long range shots, connecting on 6-of-10 field goals, including 3-of-3 from beyond the three-point arc, and 7-of-8 free throws. Zach Elcano added 13 points and John Schoof 10 points for the Eagles.
American, who ranks fourth nationally in scoring defense, held the Bears to 28-percent shooting in the second half (7-of-25) and 34-percent shooting overall (17-of-50). Offensively, the Eagles shot 50-percent from the field (23-of-46) overall.
Brown led by as many as eight points in the opening 20 minutes, 17-9, following a King lay-up at the 11:02 mark. The Eagles immediately out-scored the Bears, 12-1, to open up a 22-18 advantage with 5:48 left in the half.
In the end, the Bears trailed 29-28 at the half, despite 12 points from Kuakumensah, and a near double-double (8 points, 8 rebounds) from King.
The defensive minded Eagles held the Bears to just seven points in the opening 11 minutes of the second half, and gained a 46-35 advantage with the benefit of a 17-7 run.
American expanded its lead to 17 points, 55-38, on two free throws by Pee Wee Gardner with just over four minutes left on the clock.
Brown returns to the hardwood on Saturday, December 6, hosting cross-state rival Bryant. Game time is 7:30pm at the Pizzitola Sports Center.
