PROVIDENCE — Maybe this is the night that gets Brown going. 

The Bears lost a close road game against a quality opponent and dropped a disappointing home game against another before the wheels came off. A thumping at New Hampshire earlier in the week left Brown winless entering what projected to be a breather against Rhode Island College. 

It was a slow start that progressively improved. The Bears weren’t all that effective over the first few minutes before locking in on defense and finding some secondary scoring. The final result was an expected one, a 92-51 blowout at Pizzitola Center.  

The Anchormen gradually faded away, unable to generate consistent offense against a bigger, longer opponent. Brown held RIC to 34% shooting overall and just 5-for-20 from 3-point range. The Bears are in the win column for 2023-24 heading towards a tough road challenge at USC. 

“It was very important getting that first one,” Brown forward Nana Owusu-Anane said. “These last couple weeks, working in practice, we knew it was bound to happen.  

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“We know we still have to fix a lot, but just getting a win, it changes the spirit.” 

Owusu-Anane netted all 16 of his points in the first h1alf while Aaron Cooley collected nine of his 15. All but one of the 16 Bears who appeared in the game hit the scoresheet. Brown connected on 14 3-pointers and committed just seven turnovers – only two of those came prior to the break. 

“We do have offensive talent,” Brown coach Mike Martin said. “But we’re going to be the team we want to be by being a great defensive team.” 

What else to take from this one? Here are a few notes. 

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Kino Lilly Jr. (knee) was in street clothes

The dynamic junior guard is dealing with an unspecified knee injury. He was held scoreless in that 82-64 defeat against the Wildcats, the first time he’d failed to notch a point in 57 career games. 

“Kino should be back soon,” Martin said. “He just has a minor knee injury – day-to-day. We anticipate he’ll be back sooner rather than later.” 

Whether or not that return comes against the Trojans remains to be seen. Lilly closed 0-for-7 overall against New Hampshire and was 0-for-6 from 3-point range. His likely matchup in Los Angeles would be against Isaiah Collier, who shared Most Valuable Player honors at last year’s McDonald’s All-American Game. 

“We have a super-talented opponent coming up on Sunday who has potentially the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft,” Martin said. “We think we can be competitive. We have to play better than we’ve played.” 

Brown still searching for more offensive weapons

Lilly’s absence stripped the Bears of their leading scorer and the majority of their perimeter punch through the opening three games. 

Cooley (7.0 points, 33.3% shooting), Felix Kloman (3.0, 21.4%), Kimo Ferrari (1.7, 2-for-6) and Lyndel Erold (0.0, 0-for-5) had all been relatively ineffective in games against Colgate, Loyola (MD) and the Wildcats. Brown (1-3) needs to find consistent options at the shooting guard and wing spots alongside Lilly, Kalu Anya and Owusu-Anane. 

Cooley enjoyed something of a breakthrough on Thursday. He was 5-for-7 from the field overall and 4-for-5 from deep. The left-hander added three rebounds and was plus-13 in 18 minutes. 

“Aaron Cooley led us with great energy, great confidence,” Martin said. “We all know how good of a defender and an athlete he is. He showed today he’s a really good 3-point shooter, too.” 

Ferrari chipped in nine points while starting in the backcourt.  

RIC roster boasts Rhode Island natives

RIC (3-1) featured several state natives on its roster, including its top two scorers through three games. 

Deyshawn Tengbeh and Ousmane Kourouma were both in the starting five. Tengbeh entered at a team-high 18.3 points while shooting an even 50% and Kourouma trailed him at 14.0 points and 15.0 rebounds. They were stars at East Providence and Woonsocket, respectively. 

Mike Paquette got off the bench inside the first two media timeouts. He was a state champion guard with Bishop Hendricken in 2022-23. Paquette started in one of his previous three appearances and didn’t commit a turnover through those 21 minutes. 

Emmanuel Beldeh, Victor Rodriguez, Rasheed Louis and RJ Pina were all summoned in the second half. They’re graduates of Rocky Hill, St. Patrick, Cranston East and East Providence, respectively. Beldeh is a Providence native while Rodriguez calls Pawtucket home.  

bkoch@providencejournal.com     

On X: @BillKoch25