Backed by career performances from Kalu Anya 鈥�26 and Kimo Ferrari 鈥�24, the men鈥檚 basketball team (9-17, 5-6 Ivy) took a pair of pivotal wins over Columbia (13-11, 4-7 Ivy) and Cornell (20-5, 9-2 Ivy) last weekend. The wins propelled the Bears into a tie for fourth place in the Ivy standings as they make a late-season playoff push.
Friday night鈥檚 contest in New York was defined by a discrepancy in effectiveness from three-point range. The Bears shot at an 11-for-27 clip from beyond the arc, while limiting the Lions to 3-for-19.
Ferrari was responsible for six of Bruno鈥檚 11 triples, finishing with a career-high 18 points, while regular top-scorers Kino Lilly Jr. 鈥�25 and Nana Owusu-Anane 鈥�24 finished with 14 and 13 points, respectively. Anya, twenty-four hours before an even more impressive performance, delivered 13 rebounds and a career-high seven assists.
鈥淚t just so happened the best response to their defense was the wing and corner three that they gave up,鈥� Ferrari wrote in an email to The Herald. 鈥淜alu, Nana, and (Malachi Ndur 鈥�24) did a great job of delivering the ball and I was just happy the three was going in on Friday.鈥�
The score kept close until the end, knotted at 64-64 with 1:42 remaining on the clock. That鈥檚 when Aaron Cooley 鈥�25 came up clutch, following a pair of successful free throws with a deciding block to give the Bears a two-point victory.
Saturday saw the Bears pull off a dramatic upset against a first-place Cornell squad which entered the game undefeated at home.
Out of the gate, Anya made his presence known, recording two rebounds and a layup within the first seventy-five seconds of play. By the final buzzer, he had racked up 23 points and 17 rebounds 鈥� both career highs.
Anya was named Ivy League Player of the Week on Monday for his efforts over the weekend.
鈥淐oming into this game, I just wanted to be ultra-aggressive all around the court, both offensively and defensively,鈥� Anya wrote. 鈥淪eeing the ball go in early definitely felt good, and I just kept my foot on the pedal for the rest of the game.鈥�
Owusu-Anane recorded a double-double with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Ferrari once again showed up with 13 points, five assists, four rebounds and two steals.
Cornell only led once late in the first half, and the Bears pulled ahead by as much as fifteen points late in the second half. Though Cornell attempted a late-game comeback, the Bears hung on to win 78-74.
鈥淭his was a very important statement win for Brown basketball,鈥� Anya wrote. 鈥淥ur team knows what we are capable of, and for us to execute and come out with a win against a great team in Cornell was huge for us.鈥�
鈥淲e were very excited to come away from Saturday with a sweep on the weekend,鈥� Ferrari wrote. 鈥淐ornell has a really good team, but I also think we have a really good team and we were able to prove it on Saturday.鈥�
The Bears 鈥� who sported a 2-6 conference record on Feb. 16 鈥� now ride the momentum of a three-game winning streak as they head into their biggest match-up of the season: a Friday night showdown at the Pizzitola Sports Center against the Harvard team they鈥檙e tied with for a playoff spot. With only three games remaining in the regular season, the contest could very well decide which squad advances to the four-team Ivy Madness tournament taking place March 16-17 in New York.
Anya said the key to finding successful results this weekend is successful preparation.
鈥淲e have to 鈥榳in鈥� in the film room, 鈥榳in鈥� in the weight room, 鈥榳in鈥� in practice and ultimately 鈥榳in鈥� on the court,鈥� Anya wrote. 鈥淣othing matters more than the other, and it has allowed us to max out in all facets of the game of basketball.鈥�
鈥淚鈥檓 real excited about Friday night at the Pizz,鈥� he continued. 鈥淭he environment is going to be electric, and it all starts with 鈥榳inning鈥� day by day leading up to the game.鈥�
Friday night鈥檚 duel will begin at 7 p.m, while Saturday night鈥檚 Senior Day home finale against Dartmouth will begin at 6 p.m. Both games will be televised on ESPN+.
Linus is a sports editor from New York City. He is a junior concentrating in English, and when he's out of The Herald office you can find him rooting for the Mets, watching Star Wars or listening to The Beach Boys.
