PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- Brown took an early lead, built it up in the first half and never let the Big Red back in as the host grabbed an 80-66 men's basketball victory on Saturday afternoon at the Pizzitola Sports Center. Cornell dropped its third straight in falling to 15-8 (5-5 Ivy), while Brown improved to 13-10 (6-4 Ivy) with the victory.

Kino Lilly Jr. scored 25 points on 10-of-13 shooting to lead three Brown players in double figures as the home team hit 10 3-pointers, shot 54 percent from the floor overall and assisted on 18 baskets. Dan Friday added 16 points, seven assists and five boards and Paxson Wojcik notched 13 points, 11 rebounds and six assists in the win. Nana Owusu-Anane scored eight points with seven rebounds and also dished out three assists in the victory.

Nazir Williams, who missed the previous three games due to injury, returned to scored 14 points with four rebounds, while Greg Dolan chipped in 11 points with three steals. Isaiah Gray (eight points, seven rebounds, three assists) and Guy Ragland Jr. (eight points, six rebounds) narrowly missed double figures, as did Chris Manon (nine points, five reboiunds). The Big Red turned the ball over 20 times, shot just 38 percent from the floor and 6-for-28 from beyond the 3-point arc (21 percent).


 

First Half

• Cornell trailed 42-24 at the break after shooting 23 percent overall (including 3-for-15 from 3-point range) with 11 turnovers.
• Nine Big Red players scored, but none had more than five points.
• The Brown backcourt of Lilly (13) and Friday (12) outscored Cornell by themselves.
• Three early Brown 3-pointers gave the home team a 9-2 lead four minutes in. 
• Cornell trailed 15-5 eight minutes before going on a 8-2 run to get within 17-13.
• That's as close as it would get, as Brown went on a 13-0 run to make it 30-13.
• Cornell went down as many gt20 before going into the locker room up 18, Cornell's biggest halftime deficit of the season.
 

Second Half

• The Bears raced out of the locker room with a 15-5 run and eventually pushed the lead to 30.
• Cornell eventually clawed within 14 with Williams and Dolan scoring nine apiece in the final 20 minutes.
• A 13-0 Big Red run highlighted the second half.
• The Bears never allowed Cornell back in the game, with Lilly and Wojcik hitting 3-pointers to stem any building momentum.
 

Next Up

• Cornell will play three of its final four games at home beginning with a rematch with Dartmouth on Friday, Feb. 17 at 6 p.m. at Newman Arena.
• The contest will be broadcast on ESPN+ with Barry Leonard and Eric Taylor '05.
• The Big Red won a hard-fought 74-63 decision in Hanover, N.H. in the 2022-23 Ivy opener on New Year's Day.