On Friday night in front of a packed home crowd, the men’s basketball team (9-15, 3-8 Ivy) picked up an 80-71 victory over Princeton (8-18, 4-7 Ivy). On top of Bruno’s second consecutive win, guard Isaiah Langham ’29 also garnered the Ivy League Rookie of the Week honors title for the fifth time this season scoring 11 points in the game.
Langham is the fifth player in program history to have earned the honor five times during their freshman season.
After snapping a six-game losing streak with last week’s victory over Dartmouth, the team entered the Pizzitola Sports Center on Friday set on continuing their winning streak.
While Princeton opened the scoring, forward Landon Lewis ’26 responded quickly with a smooth floater. Moments later, guard Jeremiah Jenkins ’28 delivered a bounce pass to Lewis for another basket.
Princeton countered with two three-pointers and a layup to briefly take control with a six-point lead, but three substitutions from the Bruno bench quickly shifted the momentum back in their favor.
Guard and forward David Rochester ’28 sparked a scoring run, driving into the lane before dishing the ball out to Langham, who knocked down a three from the top of the arc. Lewis followed with a block, and Rochester added a steal. Langham capitalized on this comeback, securing a midrange jumper as the shot clock expired.
The Bears and Tigers exchanged points, bringing the score to 14-13 with Princeton in the lead. But eight minutes into the game, guard Adrian Uchidiuno ’27 scored on a floater through heavy traffic. Then, after a couple of back-and-forth possessions, guard Luke Paragon ’27 — who has been shooting 40% from beyond the arc this season — buried an open three and brought the Bears to a 20-14 lead.
Lewis sank a three of his own and Paragon added a pair of free throws to extend the Bear’s lead to 11. After 5 points by the Tigers, Paragon went on a scoring spree, finding a wide-open three, layup and a corner three.
But, with the scoreboard ticking down, Paragon was not done. He sank three free throws to surpass his previous career record of 15 points, finishing the first half with 18 points. Jenkins spun past his defender to follow with a tough and-one, bringing Bruno to the locker room with a 42-37 lead.
“I feel like just playing free and playing off of my teammates helped me a lot, plus the work I put in before the game,” Paragon wrote in an email to The Herald.
Bruno maintained the steady stream of buckets early in the second half. Paragon attacked the rim through traffic while Wrisby-Jefferson, Lewis and Jenkins each converted layups to help build a 50-41 lead in the first three minutes.
Princeton matched Bruno’s pace, responding with a 10-0 run to take a 51-50 lead. But a Uchidiuno three from the top of the key and a powerful dunk by Lewis propelled a 14-5 stretch by Bruno.
Still, the Tigers were not ready to admit defeat. The team made a valiant effort to cut the deficit to 71-66 with around four minutes remaining. Instead, they were met with a quick 5-0 burst driven by a Lewis layup and a strong finish from Wrisby-Jefferson.
As the clock ticked down, Princeton’s desperate attempts proved insufficient and Uchidiuno sealed the win with two late free throws to secure the 80-71 victory.
Brown will look to carry the momentum into their upcoming games against Columbia (15-10, 4-7 Ivy) and Cornell (12-12, 5-6 Ivy) in New York on Friday at 7 p.m. and Saturday at 6 p.m., respectively.
“The atmosphere among the team is super high,” Paragon wrote in an email to The Herald. “We have a lot of momentum and confidence going into these next couple of games.”
Harry Guo is a senior staff writer and on the vertical video and design teams. He is from Andover, Massachusetts, and plans on concentrating in Business Economics and International and Public Affairs. In his free time, he enjoys writing poetry and playing poker.
