Heartbreak on the Court: Men’s Basketball Stumbles Against #8 Kansas

“We had difficulty in scoring, our shooting was not as effective as it has been in previous games,” Head Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Martin ’04 commented. “Kansas put us in uncomfortable positions with their defensive pressure and switching. There were times, particularly in the first half, where we executed some good plays and took quality shots that just didn’t go in. If those shots had fallen, it might’ve been a different game at halftime.”

After going down 7-2 early on, Brown responded with five straight points, leveling the score at seven, capped off by a three-pointer from Lyndel Erold.

After falling behind by as many as nine points post the tie at seven, the Bears once again fought back to even the score at 24 with a three-pointer from Jeremiah Jenkins with 8:29 left in the first half.

Kansas responded by finishing the first half with an 18-7 run, leading 42-31 at the break.

Kino Lilly Jr. was the top scorer for the Bears in the first half with 10 points, while N’famara Dabo contributed three blocks on the defensive end.

The Bears’ initial score of the second half came from a three-pointer by Kino Lilly Jr., reducing the Jayhawks’ lead to 42-34, which was the closest the Bears would get in the second half.

The three-pointer also positioned Lilly Jr. as third all-time in the program with 1,621 points. He added five more points during the game to finish with 1,625 total career points.

In the second half, Kansas outscored Brown 45-22, securing the victory. Lilly Jr. was the only Bear to reach double digits, finishing with 18 points. As a team, Brown managed to shoot only 21.1 percent in the last 20 minutes.

Dabo recorded an additional block in the second half, concluding with four for the game. He has accumulated seven blocks over the past two contests.

“We were not playing with the level of composure and discipline required while maintaining aggression against their defense and switching. They certainly earned their win, but we didn’t perform to our usual standard.”

Brown will return to the court on Tuesday, Dec. 31, facing off against #4 Kentucky in Lexington, Ky., with tip-off set for 2:00 p.m. at Rupp Arena.

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