The Brown Bears clinched a narrow victory over the Harvard Crimson and euphoric scenes were witnessed as fans swarmed the court after the game. Brown fans huddled around the players, sang, danced and shouted after some key performances helped the Bears register a victory.
The Bears hosted the Crimson at Providence, Rhode Island, on Friday. AJ Lesburt Jr.’s 3-pointer with just under a minute left in overtime helped the Bears secure a lead. Lyndon Erold and Kimo Ferrari’s two free throws proved decisive for the hosts in the final moments.
Kino Lilly Jr. added 16 points, six rebounds and five assists in his 42-minute play. Nana Owusu-Anane chipped in 13 points, 14 rebounds and four assists for his team.
For Harvard, Malik Mack added 20 points, four rebounds and five assists in 41 minutes of play. Chisom Opkara offered resistance with 15 points, five rebounds and one assist. Justice Ajogbor and Louis Lesmond added 10 and 11 points, respectively.
With the win, the Brown Bears took their record to 10-17 and 6-6 in the Ivy League. Harvard has a 14-11 record and 5-7 in the Ivy League. Brown will host Dartmouth next and Harvard will be a road team against Yale.
Brown Bears victory and discussions on preventing court stormings
Court stormings by college kids have raised quite some eyebrows recently and it is not confined to events related to the Friday court storming by the Brown Bears fans alone. The dangers are real as Duke center Kyle Flipowski and Iowa's Caitlin Clark got surrounded by over-enthusiastic fans. The Iowa Hawkeyes star got knocked down and Flipowski’s right knee got hit in a collision.
The frequent court stormings have sparked discussions, with some experts calling for strict measures. Brandon Allen, director of research for the National Center for Sports Safety and Security, spoke on the issue recently:
"You can try to do a zero tolerance policy but how are you going to enforce that? And what does that look like?"
There are fines in some venues while others have called for warning the fans before the match. Kansas coach Bill Self recently suggested:
“I would think the leagues could certainly put stiff enough penalties down on places that do that (to) certainly deter those things from ever happening.”
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