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ITHACA, N.Y. – Brown connected on 13 3-pointers, controlled the paint and took advantage of a depleted Cornell men's basketball squad to take an 84-65 decision over the Big Red on Friday evening at Newman Arena. The Big Red slipped to 13-15 (5-6 Ivy), while the Bears improved to 11-14 (5-6 Ivy).

Brown freshman Cedric Kuakumensah tied his own school record with seven blocked shots, giving him a school season record 60 for the season. He added eight points and seven rebounds. His frontcourt mate Rafael Maia added 22 points, 13 rebounds, four assists and two steals as Brown won the battle of the board 36-26. Tucker Halpern netted 22 points, including six 3-pointers, and Matt Sullivan scored 16. The Bears shot 53 percent from the floor, assisted on 19 field goals and turned the ball over just nine times in picking up the win.

Cornell, playing without three starters, including its two leading scorers in Shonn Miller and Johnathan Gray, got a team-high 22 points from freshman Nolan Cressler and another 13 points, five rebounds, three assists and two blocks from senior Errick Peck. Dominick Scelfo added nine points. Cornell turned the ball over just 10 times and shot 46 percent overall, but couldn't keep up with the Bears' shooters. Sophomore Deion Giddens provided a lift off the bench with four points, five rebounds and three blocked shots.

The Bears, who have suffered through injuries all season and dressed just eight players, didn't feel sorry for the Big Red in what turned into a track meet early. The Bears led 14-12 after five minutes of action and 27-21 nine minutes in. Maia scored on a pair of layups in the first minute and a half to force a Big Red timeout. Cornell eventually tied the game at 12-12 and even took a brief 15-14 lead with 5:24 off the clock on a 3-pointer by Cressler, but Halpern answered with a trey of his own 10 seconds later and Brown would never trail again.

Brown pushed its lead to nine (30-21) on another Halpern 3-pointer with 9:48 left, but Cornell then turned on the pressure. Cressler hit a jumper, followed by a Miles Asafo-Adjei reverse layup. Peck ended the 6-0 spurt with a midcourt steal and a run-out dunk and all of a sudden it was 30-27. But Brown, as it did all night, answered back with a 3-pointer. This time it was Stephen Albrecht with the long ball do double the deficit. Consecutive baskets by Dave LaMore, including a dunk on a feed from Asafo-Adjei, got Cornell back within four (35-31), but the Bears scored the final eight while holding the Big Red scoreless in the final 5:45 of the half.

The second half was more of the same, as Maia scored on an offensive rebound early and then assisted on a Matt Sullivan 3-pointer. The lead ballooned to 17 before Cornell made another little run. Peck hit a jumper off glass, Giddens scored on a putback and Cressler hit a driving layup over the outstretched arms of Kuakumensah.

But then Brown put the Big Red away. A 3-pointer by Joe Sharkey, consecutive shots by Maia and a 3-pointer by Sean McGonagill and all of a sudden it was a 20-point game (68-48). Cornell wouldn't get within 17 points the rest of the way.

Cornell will celebrate Senior Day tomorrow when it faces Yale at 7 p.m. at Newman Arena.