Break Over, Brown Matches Up With No. 3 Duke

Saturday, December 28

Durham, NC

11:30 am

Brown University

Duke University

Break Over, Brown Matches Up With No. 3 Duke

12/26/2019 2:33:00 PM | Men's Basketball

MBB Notes: Duke 12-28-19

Durham, N.C. - With exams in the rear view mirror, Brown returns to the hardwood after a 17 day hiatus to take on #3 Duke on Saturday, December 28 at Cameron Indoor Stadium. The 11:30 am tip-off will be televised on ESPN2.

The Bears:  Brown's (5-5) furious second half comeback bid fell short in an 82-71 loss at St. John's on December 10. Brandon Anderson '20 led all scorers with 25 points and Joshua Howard '20 added 15 points.  Tamenang Choh '21 posted his fifth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds against the Red Storm. The Bears have been idle for the last 17 days with final exams.

The Blue Devils:  No. 3 Duke (10-1) is coming off an 86-57 win over Wofford on December 19. The Blue Devils' lone loss came at home against Steven F. Austin, 85-83 (ot). Duke has posted wins over NW Missouri St., Fort Valley St., #3 Kansas, Colorado State, Central Arkansas, Georgia State, Cal, Georgetown, Winthrop, #11 Michigan St. and Va. Tech.

The Brown-Duke Series Record:Brown and Duke have met four times, dating back to the 1938-39 season, with the Blue Devils holding a 3-1 series lead. Duke captured the last meeting, 80-38, to open the 1994-1995 season. Brown's win came in the 1938-39 regular season, 41-33, a victory that helped the Bears earn an NCAA Final Four appearance.

Notes: Brandon Anderson '20 ranks 20^th in all-time Brown scoring with 1,151 career points.  Coming off a 25 point performance vs. St. John's, his 21.0 ppg rank 20^thnationally… Brown leads the Ivy League and ranks sixth nationally with 14.8 offensive rebounds per game….Brown's 11:30am tip-off against Duke is the first morning start since an 11am tip-off vs. Austin Peay on 11/27/14 in the Las Vegas Inv.…Jaylan Gainey '22 ranks 26^thnationally with 2.5 blocks per game.

Brandon Anderson – 20^thNationally In Scoring:  Senior guard Brandon Anderson (Mahwah, NJ) ranks 20^th in the nation and leads the Ivy League with 21.0 points per game, while his 37.6 minutes per game ranks eighth nationally. He logged 40 minutes against St. John's, netting a game high 25 points. Anderson scored 13 points and matched his career high with seven assists vs. Stony Brook. He had a strong performance vs. Merrimack with 11 points and matching his career highs in assists (7) and rebounds (7). Anderson, who scored 19 points vs. Navy, tossed in 26 points and pulled down a then career high seven rebounds in Brown's win over NJIT. Anderson was named the Ivy League Player of the Week for the second time after scoring 28 points in Brown's win over Quinnipiac on 10-of-20 shooting from the field, while matching his career best with four treys. He exploded for a career high 32 points in Brown's win over Canisius and went over the 1,000 point career mark. Anderson connected on 8-of-16 field goals and connected on four treys (4-of-9) against the Golden Griffins. He now has 1,151 career points, 20^th best in Brown basketball history. His 360 career free throws rank ninth in the Brown record book. Anderson opened the season with a splash against Bryant, scoring a game high 23 points, including the game-winning basket with 12 seconds remaining, and making four steals against the Bulldogs.  Last year, Anderson ranked sixth in the Ivy League in free throw percentage (.758) and eighth in the league with 1.3 steals per game.
Brandon Anderson In The Brown Record Book
Career Points:   1,151 (20^th)
Career Free throws: 360 (9^th)
Career Assists: 254
Career Steals: 129 (9^th)

Brown Basketball: Top 25 Career Scorers
1.     2,041     Earl Hunt (1999-03)
2.     1,668     Arnie Berman (1969-72)
3.     1,618     Sean McGonagill (2010-14)
4.     1,597     Jason Forte (2001-05)
5.     1,367    Steven Spieth (2013-17)
6. 1,361   Peter Sullivan (2007-11)
7.     1,344     Alai Nuualiitia (1999-03)
8.     1,331     Mike Cingiser (1959-62)
9.     1,328     Marcus Thompson (1985-89)
10.   1,319     Joe Tebo (1955-58)
11. 1,306     Damon Huffman (2004-08)
12. 1,294     Rick Lloyd (1988-92)
13.   1,288     Brian Saunders (1974-77)
14. 1,241     Phil Brown (1972-75)
        1,241     Peter Moss (1977-80)
16. 1,190     Chuck Savage (1988-92)
17.   1,181     Cedric Kuakumensah (2012-16)
18.   1,166     Tavon Blackmon (2013-17)
19. 1,165     Mike Waitkus (1982-86)
20.   1,151     Brandon Anderson(2016-present)
21.   1,147     Lou Murgo (1951-55)
22.   1,134     Matt Mullery (2006-10)
23.   1,133     Russ Tyler (1968-1971)
24. 1,100     Mark McAndrew (2004-08)
25. 1,079     Ira James (1979-1982)

Joshua Howard Inside:  Senior forward Joshua Howard (Charlotte, NC) scored a season high 15 points vs. St. John's on 6-of-11 shooting from the field, while also pulling down seven rebounds. Howard netted eight points vs. Merrimack and scored nine points and pulled down seven rebounds vs. UMass Lowell. He had six points and a team high eight rebounds vs. Stony Brook. Howard also tossed in nine points and five rebounds vs. Sacred Heart.  He scored 11 points and grabbed five rebounds in Brown's win over Quinnipiac. Howard scored seven points on 3-of-3 shooting from the field vs. Canisius. Last year, Howard scored in double figures 11 times, including a season high 16 points vs. Cornell, and tossed in 15 points against UAB in the first round of the CBI, hitting 5-of-9 field goals, including 3-of-5 treys. Howard is  Brown's third leading returning scorer with 8.0 points per game last year, despite missing several games due to injury. His dad, Juwan, is the head basketball coach at Michigan.

Tamenang Choh – Bears Top Rebounder:The Bears are built around Second Team All-Ivy junior forward Tamenang Choh (Lowell, MA), who led the Ivy League in rebounding last year and is averaging 8.3 rebounds per game, fourth best in the conference.  A versatile player who is comfortable handling the ball, he posted his fourth double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds vs. St. John's, while adding six assists. Choh paced the Bears with 19 points vs. Stony Brook, including a career high three treys, and seven rebounds. He scored a game high 17 points in Brown's win over Merrimack. Choh had 11 points against Navy and put together 13 points and five rebounds vs. UMass Lowell. He scored 19 points against NJIT, pulling down five rebounds. Choh, who is averaging 14.4 points per game, posted three straight double-doubles to open the season.  He netted 11 points and pulled down 14 rebounds vs. Quinnipiac. He had 10 points and 11 rebounds in Brown's win over Canisius, and opened the season in classic Choh fashion against Bryant, scoring 20 points, pulling down 13 rebounds and handing out four assists. He had 12 points and eight rebounds vs. Sacred Heart. Choh started all 32 games last year and led the conference in rebounding with 8.6 per game, including 9.5 rebounds per game in league games.  As a sophomore, Choh ranked 12^th in the Ivy League in scoring (12.5 ppg.), fourth in assists (3.4 apg), sixth in steals (1.3 per game), 10^th in blocked shots (0.8 per game) and 10^th in free throw percentage (.656). He posted 11 double-doubles and just missed a triple-double against UAB in the first round of the CBI with 10 pts., 11 reb. and eight assists.

Hunsaker In The Backcourt:Senior guard Zach Hunsaker (North Salt Lake City, UT) ranks among the nation's leaders in free throw percentage, connecting on 21-of-22 free throws (.955), including 20 consecutive. A Second Team CoSIDA Academic All-American selection, Hunsaker was one of only four players to compete in all 32 games in 2018-19. A savvy player with a great feel for the game, Hunsaker is the fourth player in Brown history to be selected a three-year team captain.  He scored 13 points and pulled down six rebounds vs. Merrimack. Hunsaker had 14 points vs. Navy and added 11 points vs. UMass Lowell. He tossed in 13 points vs. NJIT, shooting a perfect 5-of-5 from the field while making all three of his 3-point attempts. Hunsaker netted 10 points and pulled down four rebounds vs. Sacred Heart. He turned in a clutch performance vs. Quinnipiac, knocking down the game winning trey with 7.2 seconds remaining to break a tied game. He finished with 12 points, seven assists and four steals against the Bobcats. Hunsaker tossed in 15 points and grabbed four rebounds in Brown's win over Canisius. He opened the season with six points vs. Bryant. He averaged 6.0 points as a junior after averaging 9.7 ppg his sophomore season.

DeWolf Inside:  Junior forward Matt DeWolf (Barrington, RI) has started all 10 games for the Bears and has been a strong presence in the middle. He got off to a strong start to the 2019-20 season with 10 points against Bryant on 5-of-7 shooting from the field.  DeWolf had six points, seven rebounds and two assists vs. Merrimack and scored six points vs. Stony Brook. He scored eight points and grabbed a team high eight rebounds vs. Navy. DeWolf netted six points and grabbed seven rebounds vs. UMass Lowell, and handed out a career high four assists in Brown's win over NJIT. DeWolf had seven points and seven rebounds vs. Canisius and added six points vs. Quinnipiac. He started 24-of-27 games played for the Bears last season before being sidelined due to a late season injury. A solid pivot man, DeWolf scored eight points and grabbed five rebounds in Brown's win over Harvard last year. He pulled down a career high 13 rebounds against Dartmouth as a freshman. He posted back-to-back eight rebound performances against Providence and UMass Lowell in 2017-18.

Newcomers:Martin has brought in a talented recruiting class with six newcomers arriving on College Hill. Brown's incoming class includes: 6-4 freshman guard Perry Cowan (Chicago, IL),  6-4 freshman guard Dan Friday (Detroit, MI), 6-6 freshman forward Carsten Kogelnik (Bethesda, MD) and 6-4 freshman guard/forward Josh Watts (Bethesda, MD), along with 6-5 junior transfer guard Noah Merren (Providence, RI), who will be eligible in the 2020-21 season. Junior EJ Perry (Andover, MA), a 6-2 guard, joined the Brown team on November 23 after completing the football season, where he set a new Ivy League record with 3,678 yards of total offense.

Head Coach Mike Martin:Former Brown basketball standout Mike Martin '04, the 31st head men's basketball coach in the program's 114-year history, has the building blocks in place to develop an Ivy Championship team. Last summer, Martin was a member of the United States' coaching staff with Providence coach Ed Cooley for the 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru, coaching a group of BIG EAST All-Stars to the bronze medal. He was named the Ivy League Coach of the Year in 2018-19 after posting a school record 20 wins (20-12) and guiding the Bears to their first postseason win ever, an 83-78 win over Alabama-Birmingham. His squad ranked 20th out of 353 Division I teams in 3-point defense and featured Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Obi Okolie. Martin took over the reins of the program in 2012-13 and was named a finalist for the Joe B. Hall Award as the nation's outstanding first-year head coach after leading the Bears to a turnaround season with a 13-15 overall record, including a fourth-place finish in the Ivy standings with a 7-7 mark after winning four of its last five games. Martin's 2013-14 team posted a 15-14 overall record and hosted Brown's first-ever postseason game, playing Holy Cross in the CollegeInsider.com Postseason Tournament at the Pizzitola Sports Center. In addition, he guided two-time Ivy League Defensive Player of the Year Cedric Kuakumensah, the Ivy League's all-time leader in blocked shots. A four-year starter at Brown, Martin was part of the winningest class in Bears' basketball history, posting a 63-45 four-year record from 2000-04. He also helped the Class of 2004 to a school-record 39-17 Ivy League mark during that period -- the best by an Ivy League team, other than Penn and Princeton, since 1970. An Agawam, Mass., native, Martin launched his coaching career at Brown as an assistant coach in 2005-06, and was an assistant coach at Penn from 2006-12.
Friday Gets A Start:  Freshman guard Dan Friday (Detroit, MI ) got his first collegiate start vs. UMass Lowell and responded with 13 points and three rebounds. He had five rebounds in his collegiate debut vs. Quinnipiac.

Hunsaker and Choh Named Brown Basketball Captains:   Brown men's basketball head coach Mike Martin has named senior Zach Hunsaker and junior Tamenang Choh co-captains of the 2019-20 Brown basketball team.  Hunsaker is the fourth player in Brown history to be selected a three-year team captain.

Mitchell for the Defense:Sophomore David Mitchell (Roxbury, MA) opened the season by scoring a career high 11 points and grabbing eight rebounds vs. Bryant.  He netted five points and grabbed three rebounds in 17 minutes of play vs. St. John's. Mitchell played a key role in Brown's win over NJIT with a career high nine rebounds, while adding four points. He pulled down six rebounds vs. Canisius. A defensive force for the Bears, Mitchell saw more playing time than any freshman on the Brown team last season, averaging 13.0 minutes per game.  Last year, Mitchell tossed in a season high eight points vs. UMass Lowell, and had a then career high eight rebounds vs. Canisius and Penn.

Cowan Sees Playing Time:  Freshman guard Perry Cowan (Chicago, IL) has been averaging nearly 15 minutes of playing time in his inaugural season on College Hill. He connected on two treys in scoring six points vs. St. John's. Cowan netted a career high eight points vs. Merrimack, while grabbing three rebounds. He scored four points vs. UMass Lowell with two blocked shots.

EJ Perry Joins The Bears: Junior EJ Perry (Andover, MA), who just set a single season Ivy League record for total offense in football, joined the Brown team on November 23, wearing number four. He scored his first collegiate point with a free throw against Merrimack, while also grabbing a rebound and making a steal. Perry was a first team All-Ivy selection in 2019 and a finalist for the Bushnell Cup as the Ivy League Offensive Player of the Year.

Gainey Ties School Record For Blocked Shots:  Sophomore forward Jaylan Gainey (Greensboro, NC) has shown tremendous improvement this season and is a force in the paint for the Bears. Gainey, who ranks 26^th in the nation and leads the Ivy League with 2.5 blocks per game, tied the Brown school record with seven blocked shots vs. Merrimack. He blocked a then career high four shots vs. Navy. Gainey had seven points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots vs. UMass Lowell. He had five points and two blocked shots vs. NJIT. Gainey exploded for a career high 14 points vs. Sacred Heart, connecting on 7-of-7 field goals with six dunks and a tip-in, with three blocked shots. Last year, Gainey scored five points and blocked three shots against Loyola Marymount in the second round of the College Basketball Invitational.
Bears Travel To Spain:Last summer, Brown basketball enjoyed a 10-day training and educational trip to Spain with games against various professional teams throughout the trip, including one game in Madrid and Valencia and two games in Barcelona. The Bears posted a 3-1 record with games against Zentro Basket Madrid, Valencia Basket, Mataro Parc Boet (Barcelona) and FC Barcelona, and toured each of the cities throughout the trip, visiting historical landmarks, including the Olympic Stadium in Barcelona.

The Ivy League on ESPN:  Video of all home contests and all Ivy League games, home and away, will be broadcast live on ESPN+. Fans can subscribe and view games by purchasing a monthly package for $4.99 or a yearly package for $49.99. ABC6 Sports anchor Nick Coit will call the play for all Brown home games with Adam Giardino providing the analysis.

Bears On The Air:  Brown's entire schedule, home and away, is being broadcast on WPRV-AM 790 with Scott Cordischi, the voice of Brown basketball and football, calling all the action. Former Brown basketball star Russ Tyler '71(1,133 career points) provides the color analysis. Brown fans can also listen to the broadcast on http://www.790business.com.

Ivy League Tournament:  The 2020 Ivy League Men's Basketball Tournament will be held on the campus of Harvard University at the Lavietes Pavilion March 14 and 15. The League's unique tournament format has enhanced the importance of the regular season as seven of the eight squads had an opportunity to earn a berth into the four-team tournament heading into the final week of the regular season.

Next Game:  Brown returns home on Thursday, January 2, hosting in-state rival Rhode Island at the Pizzitola Sports Center. Tip-off is 7:00 pm on ESPN+ and WPRV AM 790. Tickets can be purchased at the Pizzitola Sport Center Box Office or online at brownbears.com.