Cambridge Nets 25 Points, Men’s Basketball Defeats Sacred Heart, 82-77

Saturday, November 17

Providence, RI

6:00 pm

Brown University

2-2

Sacred Heart

2-2

Sacred Heart

BROWN

Cambridge Nets 25 Points, Men’s Basketball Defeats Sacred Heart, 82-77

11/17/2018 9:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – Sophomore guard Desmond Cambridge scored a game-high 25 points to lead five Bears in double figures as Brown University men's basketball defeated Sacred Heart University, 82-77, on Saturday night at the Pizzitola Sports Center in the 2018 Brown Bears Tip-Off Classic.

The Bears (2-2) gained a 42-28 lead at halftime, did not trail in the second half, and held off a late rally from the visiting Pioneers (2-2) behind three jump shots from Cambridge (Nashville, Tenn.) and a 3-pointer from junior guard Zach Hunsaker (North Salt Lake City, Utah) inside of the final 2:30.

"We're always happy when we win," Brown head coach Mike Martin said. "It's too hard to win to walk away from a win not feeling good. We do expect a lot of our team though, and we have to play a little bit better with the lead in the second half. I give Sacred Heart a lot of credit for making it uncomfortable for us. A lot of guys contributed."

Cambridge netted his 25 points on 10-of-18 shooting from the floor and has averaged 24.0 points per game through the first two days of the Tip-Off Classic. He hit three clutch mid-range jumpers in a 70-second span down the stretch as SHU pulled as close as one point.

"Some of those shots that Desmond made down the stretch were way harder than he makes them look," Martin said. "He makes them look easy, and those are really difficult shots when they were closing in on us."

Sophomore forward Tamenang Choh (Lowell, Mass.) totaled 10 points, nine rebounds, and a career-high seven assists while senior guard Obi Okolie (Ajax, Ontario) scored 11 points, connecting on 3-of-4 shots from 3-point distance and 2-of-2 free throws.

Junior guard Brandon Anderson (Mahwah, N.J.) and junior forward Joshua Howard (Charlotte, N.C.) tallied 10 points apiece. Anderson made 2-of-3 shots from behind the arc.

Brown improved to 2-0 at the Tip-Off Classic after defeating UMass Lowell, 82-74 on Friday. SHU fell to 1-1 on the weekend as the Pioneers beat Army West Point, 79-78, in game one on Friday.

In Saturday's first game, UMass Lowell defeated Army West Point, 92-85, behind 25 points from Christian Lutete. For Army, Matt Wilson scored 23 points on 11-of-11 shooting. The River Hawks improved to 1-1 at the event while the Black Knights fell to 0-2.

Okolie and Cambridge each hit early 3-pointers, and four points from sophomore forward Matt DeWolf (Barrington, R.I.) staked the Bears to a 12-9 edge. A dunk from Cambridge, triple from Okolie, and two baskets from Howard extended the lead to 23-16 at the 10:44 mark of the first half.

Cambridge, Anderson, and sophomore guard George Mawanda-Kalema (Burke, Va.) all hit 3-pointers as part of a 13-5 run that gave Brown a 36-24 edge. The Bears gained their largest lead of the game at 42-26 and remained ahead 42-28 at the break.

An alley-oop dunk from Cambridge made the score 53-39 early in the second half, and a layup from freshman forward David Mitchell (Roxbury, Mass.) kept Brown ahead, 57-43 with 11:15 remaining. SHU then used an 11-0 run in 1:20 to whittle the margin to 57-54 with 9:42 left.

Five straight points from Cambridge bumped the lead back to 64-57 with 8:14 to go. With Brown still leading 69-68, Cambridge hit a trio of jumpers to keep the Bears ahead 77-72 with 1:03 on the clock. With 16 seconds left, a 3-pointer from Hunsaker – his only points of the game – hung on the rim before falling through to push Brown ahead 80-76.

For Sacred Heart, E.J. Anosike compiled a double-double on 17 points and 16 rebounds, Jare'l Spellman posted 16 points and six boards, and Aaron Clarke netted 16 points.

Next, Brown concludes the Tip-Off Classic tomorrow, Sunday, Nov. 18, against Army West Point at 4:00 p.m. (ESPN+). Sacred Heart and UMass Lowell will meet in the day's first game at 1:30 p.m. (ESPN+).

Video of all Brown men's basketball home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+. (Blackout restrictions apply for national broadcasts.)

Tickets for all Brown men's basketball games can be purchased online, by calling the Brown Athletics Ticket Office at (401) 863-2773, or by walking up to the box office located in the Pizzitola Sports Center, open Monday to Friday, 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.