Big Green Can’t Overcome Ferrari’s Shooting Barrage in 89-67 Loss at Brown

Saturday, March 2

Providence, R.I. / Pizzitola Sports Center

6:00 PM

Dartmouth College

5-21,1-12Ivy League

Brown

11-17,7-6Ivy League

Dartmouth

Brown

Photo by: Justin Lafleur

Big Green Can’t Overcome Ferrari’s Shooting Barrage in 89-67 Loss at Brown

3/2/2024 10:05:00 PM | Men's Basketball

Box Score Box Score (PDF)

Dartmouth pulled within 56-48 with 9:48 remaining, but Kimo Ferrari scored 14 of his 39 points from that point forward to fuel the Bears

By: Justin Lafleur

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Dartmouth men's basketball team trimmed an 18-point deficit down to eight with 9:48 still remaining, but Brown went on a 31-13 run to open a 26-point advantage, on the way to defeating the Big Green, 89-67 on Saturday evening inside Pizzitola Sports Center. Dartmouth pulled within five late in the first half, but two straight Bears' 3-pointers gave them a 41-30 halftime lead, with the run extending to 16-3 after they scored 10 of the first 13 second-half points.

The Big Green held Brown's top two scorers Kino Lilly Jr. and Nana Owusu-Anane below their season averages, scoring 13 points apiece, but Kimo Ferrari more than made up for it with a career-high 39 points on 14-of-16 shooting, including 10-of-12 from 3-point range, a Brown program record for made threes in a game.

"Their club is playing really well right now," said Dartmouth head coach David McLaughlin. "They're playing with a lot of confidence. Congratulations to Mike and their staff and their program on getting to the postseason. They have a lot to play for, as we do, every time we step on the court."

Senior Dusan Neskovic led Dartmouth with 17 points, while also drawing nine of Brown's 21 fouls. Sophomore Jayden Williams had 14 points, shooting 4-of-5 from the floor, including 2-of-3 from 3-point range. Junior Romeo Myrthil had 12 points, also knocking down 2-of-3 from distance. Senior Robert McRae III impressed with a season-high nine points to go with six rebounds, serving as an important spark off the bench.

Dartmouth held a 30-27 edge in rebounds. It was just the 10th game this season Brown has been outrebounded, sixth in Ivy League play. The Big Green are the only team to outrebound the Bears twice this season, after also doing so in Dartmouth's 75-71 win on Jan. 27.

With Saturday's victory, Brown improves to 11-17 and 7-6 in the Ivy League, clinching the No. 4 seed in the Ivy League Tournament. Dartmouth falls to 5-21 and 1-12.

Brown opened a 13-4 lead just over five minutes in, but the Big Green answered with eight of the next 10 points, capped off by a Williams layup to pull Dartmouth within 15-12 with 11:59 left in the first half.

The Bears' lead got back to eight on multiple occasions, but a quick 5-1 Big Green surge cut the deficit in half, featuring a Williams 3-pointer and tough McRae III drive and finish which pulled Dartmouth within 24-20.

Multiple offensive rebounds on that possession lead to this pretty spin from Myrthil to get free, who found Williams for the three. Dartmouth trails by five at the under-8 media timeout.

Watch on @ESPNPlus: https://t.co/llB3AtWnkH #TheWoods | #GoBigGreen pic.twitter.com/i5vShrFA1Y
— Dartmouth Men's Basketball (@DartmouthMBB) March 2, 2024

The seesaw continued with Brown's advantage reaching 12 at 35-23 before a 7-0 Dartmouth run, featuring points from four different Big Green, to pull within 35-30 with 1:24 left in the first. However, threes from AJ Lesburt Jr. and Ferrari gave Brown a 41-30 halftime lead.

That momentum carried over into the second, with Brown beginning with a 10-3 run, the only points coming via a Myrthil 3-pointer. A Lilly Jr. three gave the Bears a 51-33 lead with 15:46 on the second-half clock.

"We challenged our guys during a timeout and I thought they responded," said McLaughlin. "They responded on both ends of the floor and we just couldn't sustain that long of a run. Brown was making shots and playing with confidence. When you get down on the road and a team is playing that way, it makes it hard to come back."

An 8-0 Dartmouth surge, capped off by a McRae III 3-pointer, quickly pulled the Big Green within 10 at 51-41 with 14:11 still remaining. A few minutes later, a 7-0 Big Green run trimmed a 15-point deficit to single digits for the first time until late in the first half. A Williams 4-point play, then layup, pulled Dartmouth within 56-48 just over midway through the second half.

That's as close as the Big Green would come, however. Two Neskovic layups in 32 seconds pulled Dartmouth within 10 at 63-53, but Brown erased any doubt with an 18-6 run to turn a 69-55 game into an 87-61 Bears' advantage, with the final standing at 89-67.

For the game, Dartmouth shot a season-best 50.0 percent from the floor (23-of-46) and 33.3 percent from 3-point range (5-of-15). Brown finished at 56.7 percent (34-of-60) and 55.2 percent from behind the arc (16-of-29). Nineteen Big Green turnovers hurt, compared to 12 for Brown.

"The effort's there," said McLaughlin. "I told our guys that after and I thought they responded fairly well when I challenged them during the timeout. The most important thing for us right now is to get ready for a game we have in 72 hours. I know the guys will be ready. We need to get home, take care of our bodies and have a couple good days of prep."

Dartmouth will return home for its season finale on Tuesay night against Harvard. Opening tipoff is set for 7 p.m. For tickets, head to DartmouthSports.com/tickets or by clicking here.