On Saturday afternoon, families and fans packed the Pizzitola Sports Center to watch the women鈥檚 basketball team (16-11, 7-7 Ivy League) take on Yale (8-19, 5-9). In an electric season closer, the Brown seniors signed off their careers with a 76-57 victory for the team.
Before the game started, the crowd was already on their feet, serenading the senior class 鈥� Kyla Jones 鈥�24, Mya Murray 鈥�24, Grace Kirk 鈥�24 and Charlotte Jewell 鈥�24 鈥� with claps and cheers. As they took the court, the seniors were honored with a framed jersey and photograph as their parents and loved ones walked alongside them.
鈥淭hey鈥檝e meant everything to us,鈥� team member Grace Arnolie 鈥�26 said following the senior day send-off. 鈥淲e love our seniors so much 鈥� They do such a good job of keeping the energy high and making sure everyone knows that they鈥檙e an important part of this team and that they鈥檙e valued 鈥� We knew that tonight was their night, and we really wanted to let them go out on a dub.鈥�
The seniors are 鈥渋ntense,鈥� Head Coach Monique LeBlanc added. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e competitive, they love playing basketball and they want to win.鈥�
And indeed it was the seniors that led the Bears鈥� initial charge. Thirty seconds into the quarter, Kirk 鈥� whose voice rang the loudest earlier in the season when she was injured and encouraged her teammates from the bench 鈥� drained a triple, earning the first points of the game. Now, the bench came to encourage her, with their arms outstretched into the air and a series of threes formed by their fingers.
With 4:45 to go in the first quarter, Jones scored her first points of the contest after a nasty crossover left the defender chasing her shadow. This was the beginning of a 23-point, 11-rebound performance 鈥� a double-double to cap off Jones鈥檚 historic 1,097-point career.
鈥淭his team has literally been my family,鈥� Jones reflected about her teammates. 鈥淭he close bonds we have, the memories we shared 鈥� I鈥檓 eternally grateful for every single one of them.鈥�
The first quarter ended right where it began: at the three-point line. When Arnolie 鈥� who posted 20 points with four assists and two steals during the game 鈥� scored from distance with three minutes to go, she unleashed an avalanche of triples. Isabella Mauricio 鈥�25 and Mady Calhoun 鈥�25 followed with nothing-but-net three-point shooting of their own, and the Bears claimed an 18-14 lead.
By the second quarter, Brown鈥檚 offense found its stride. Embodying the brawn of the Bears, the team attacked Yale鈥檚 defenders, moving them off platform for open shots, or displacing them beneath the rim for layups.
鈥淎 lot of people in our team were able to get downhill,鈥� Jones explained. 鈥淎nd when (Yale) rotated over, we were able to hit open shooters.鈥�
With two minutes to go, Mauricio 鈥� who ended the season with a 13-point performance this game alone 鈥� sent the crowd into a fury after drowning back-to-back triples. Propelled by their lethal sharp-shooting and a 6-triple first half, the Bears went into the locker room ahead 35-27.
Coming out of halftime, Kirk brought the crowd to life, starting a call-and-response that filled the Pizz with a clamor of voices all shouting 鈥淲e up! We up!鈥� The Bears, who claimed the lead in the first quarter, did not give it up for the remainder of the game, and the third ended with the Bears leading 51-44.
In the fourth quarter, an early offensive surge catapulted the Bears to a 60-46 lead. Ada Anamekwe 鈥�26 crowned the 9-point run after intercepting a pass, leaving Yale defenders to watch as she blazed down the court for a layup. A minute later, Arnolie knocked down a three, and the crowd 鈥� already tasting the sweet tint of victory 鈥� burst into cheers. Yale, reckoning with the possibility of a loss, took a timeout down 65-48.
With two minutes left in the game, the seniors took the court one final time. The crowd rose to their feet to watch the Bears close out their season with a 76-57 victory.
鈥淚t was really special 鈥� although we fell short of reaching (Ivy Madness) 鈥� that we won seven games in conference play,鈥� LeBlanc told the Herald. 鈥淥nly two other teams have done that in the last 18 years here at Brown. Nobody鈥檚 done better than that. We want to be the next team to do better.鈥�
鈥淥bviously next year, the goal is going to be getting to the tournament,鈥� Arnolie declared. 鈥淚 mean, we鈥檙e hosting it. I think it鈥檚 going to be super fun if we can get there and play in our own gym.鈥�
Lydell Dyer is a Senior Staff Writer for the sports section. A sophomore hailing from Bonn, Germany, Lydell is studying nonfiction English and political science, and if he's not off "making words sound pretty," you can find him lifting heavy circles at the Nelson.
