The NCAA men’s lacrosse selection committee announced its top 10 teams Saturday afternoon, featuring a quartet of Ivy League squads.

Not on that initial list?

Brown.

The Bears, ranked No. 17 in the Nike/USA Lacrosse Top 20, had all the motivation regardless, hosting No. 7 Yale in as big a game as they have played in years.

Brown battled like its season was on the line, jumping out to an early lead and pulling away in the second half for a dominant 20-13 win over a Bulldogs team that seemed destined for a top-two spot in the conference standings.

SATURDAY HEADLINES

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Maryland Responds to Stiffest Test of Season with Dominant 4Q

Saturday Wrap: Brown, Army Get Statement Wins over Top-10 Foes

Devon McLane continued his great season with four goals and two assists, while Brian Antonelli and Ryan Aughavin each chipped in four goals.

Aughavin led a four-goal second-quarter run that gave the Bears a 7-4 advantage, but Matt Brandau answered with a couple goals to make sure Yale trailed just 9-8 at halftime.

Antonelli dropped two of his goals in a second-half opening run that put Brown up 13-8 with 9:12 left in the third quarter.

When it felt like Yale could make a run, Brown closed the door with two McLane goals to pull away in the fourth quarter.

The win bumps the Bears (7-4, 2-2) up to fifth in the Ivy League. Brown also knocked off Penn when it was ranked in the top 10 last week. Yale (7-3, 3-2) falls to third in conference.

ARMY UPSETS CORNELL

Red-hot Army shut out Cornell in the first quarter and led from start to finish, defeating the sixth-ranked Big Red 17-10 in Ithaca, N.Y.

Ryan Sposito, an Ithaca native and the grandson of legendary Cornell coach Richie Moran, scored a career-high three goals, as the 13th-ranked Black Knights (10-2) won their fourth straight game. The Big Red (10-2) were playing their third game in seven days, including a grueling 16-15 shootout win at Syracuse on Monday.

Will Coletti won 19 of 28 faceoffs, scooped 17 ground balls and scored a goal to tilt the field in Army’s favor, while defenseman Jack Weigand limited John Piatelli, the nation’s top goal scorer, to just one goal on 1-for-7 shooting.

CHRIS GRAY IN THE CLUTCH

Chris Gray is a known commodity in college lacrosse. From his time at Boston University to a final four run with North Carolina last season, he’s become one of the most unstoppable forces in the game.

North Carolina, out of the current NCAA tournament discussion, needed a victory over Syracuse at Dorrance Field to resuscitate its fading postseason hopes.

Gray took matters into his own hands.

Syracuse made a furious second-half comeback to tie the score late in the fourth quarter, but as the final seconds ticked down, Gray received a pass at X and scored the eventual game-winner on a jump shot with 15 seconds left. North Carolina won the ensuing faceoff to clinch a 14-13 victory.

The Tar Heels (8-4, 1-3 ACC) led by as many as five goals at 10-5 in the third quarter. But the Orange (4-8, 1-3), facing a losing record and no chance of making the NCAA tournament, mounted a comeback. Tucker Dordevic led a three-goal run in the third quarter, and Brendan Curry stepped up with a laser to give Syracuse the 13-12 lead with 2:16 remaining.

Jacob Kelly turned the ball over on the next possession, but got it right back after a failed Syracuse clear. With one minute left, Kelly found Lance Tillman for a top-shelf rip to tie the game. 

Zac Tucci won the ensuing faceoff and all eyes were on Gray. Kelly fed him the ball below the crease. Gray raced to GLE and launched the game-winner.

North Carolina’s top two faceoff men, Andrew Tyeryar and Tucci, both battled injuries but combined to go 12-for-22 to give the Tar Heels an opportunity to win.

RUTGERS NARROWLY WINS

After losing in convincing fashion to Maryland last weekend, Rutgers needed a response but faced a challenge in a road game against a quality Michigan team. The Scarlet Knights endured a true tale of two halves in Ann Arbor on Saturday afternoon.

Rutgers led by as many as six goals in the first half, but held on despite a furious Michigan rally to down the Wolverines 13-12 in Big Ten play. Ronan Jacoby provided the eventual game-winner with 3:44 left to clinch a bounce-back win.

Brian Cameron and Ryan Gallagher combined to give Rutgers a 6-1 lead midway through the second quarter. Shane Knobloch dictated the offense and dodge extremely well, helping the Scarlet Knights (11-2, 3-1 Big Ten) extend the lead to 9-3. 

Michigan showed signs of a comeback early in the third quarter, but it came to fruition in the form of a five-goal run in a five-minute span that made it 11-11 on a Jake Bonomi goal with 9:26 left in the fourth. Knobloch and Bonomi traded goals to keep the game tied under five minutes left.

Jacoby’s goal made it 12-11 with 3:44 left, but Michigan could not claw back. The Wolverines (7-6, 0-4) sent six shots off cage in the final minutes.

NOTABLE

• Patrick Burkinshaw made 20 saves and Sam Handley scored four goals to lead No. 11 Penn to a much-needed 11-8 win over No. 14 Harvard. The Quakers (5-4, 2-3 Ivy League) ended a two-game skid, blanking the Crimson (7-3, 2-2) in the third quarter and scoring five goals in the frame to take control.

• Garrett Degnon scored six goals and Connor DeSimone had six assists to lead Johns Hopkins to a 13-10 win over Penn State at Homewood Field. The Blue Jays improved to 6-7 and evened their Big Ten record at 2-2. The Nittany Lions fell to 3-9 and 1-3 in conference play.

• Delaware snapped a three-game losing streak, thwarting a late rally to defeat Towson 11-10. Mark Bieda led the Blue Hens (7-5, 1-2 CAA) with three goals and two assists. The Tigers (5-7, 2-1) scored three goals in a 62-second span to pull within one with 1:07 remaining but committed a penalty and two turnovers in the final minute. Delaware goalie Matt Kilkeary made 17 saves.

• Navy is back in the win column ahead of the annual Army-Navy game in West Point next week. The Midshipmen (7-5, 3-3 Patriot League) leaned on their defense in a 9-5 victory over Lafayette (4-9, 1-6).

• Franklin & Marshall transfer Luke Keating continued his spectacular Division I debut season, scoring four goals and adding three assists to lead Villanova to an 18-13 win over Providence.

• Utah is pulling away in the ASUN Conference. Tyler Bradbury scored two goals and had a season-high five assists in an 18-8 victory over Robert Morris—the Utes’ fourth straight win, as they remained perfect (3-0) in conference play. Jordan Hyde scored five goals.

• Don’t sleep on Vermont. The Catamounts, who were ranked in the top 20 in the preseason but stumbled to a 2-6 start, defeated Albany 14-6 on Saturday—their fifth straight win. They haven’t lost in a month and are 4-0 in America East play. David Closterman led the way with two goals and four assists. Thomas McConvey scored four goals.

HOW THE TOP 20 FARED

No. 1 Maryland defeated No. 9 Ohio State 19-12
No. 2 Georgetown defeated Marquette 20-10
No. 3 Princeton defeated Dartmouth 12-10
No. 4 Virginia defeated Quinnipiac 21-9
No. 5 Rutgers defeated Michigan 13-12
No. 13 Army defeated No. 6 Cornell 17-10
No. 17 Brown defeated No. 7 Yale 20-13
No. 8 Jacksonville defeated VMI 25-6
No. 11 Penn defeated No. 14 Harvard 11-8
Colgate defeated No. 15 Lehigh 9-8 (OT)
No. 16 North Carolina defeated Syracuse 14-13
No. 18 Denver defeated St. John’s 18-4
No. 19 Richmond defeated Mercer 22-9
No. 20 Boston University defeated Loyola 14-9

FULL SCOREBOARD

Air Force 12, Cleveland State 7
No. 13 Army 17, No. 6 Cornell 10
Bellarmine 13, Detroit Mercy 8
No. 20 Boston University 14, Loyola 9
No. 17 Brown 20, No. 7 Yale 13
Bryant 22, Sacred Heart 10
Colgate 9, No. 15 Lehigh 8 (OT)
Delaware 11, Towson 10
No. 18 Denver 18, St. John’s 4
Drexel 10, Hofstra 7
Fairfield 16, UMass 13
No. 2 Georgetown 20, Marquette 10
Hobart 12, Merrimack 11
No. 8 Jacksonville 25, VMI 6
Johns Hopkins 13, Penn State 10
Marist 13, Manhattan 12
No. 1 Maryland 19, No. 9 Ohio State 12
Monmouth 6, Canisius 4
Mount St. Mary’s 9, Wagner 5
Navy 9, Lafayette 5
No. 16 North Carolina 14, Syracuse 13
No. 11 Penn 11, No. 14 Harvard 8
No. 3 Princeton 12, Dartmouth 10
No. 19 Richmond 22, Mercer 9
No. 5 Rutgers 13, Michigan 12
Saint Joseph’s 14, LIU 10
Siena 14, St. Bonaventure 11
Stony Brook 7, Binghamton 3
UMBC 11, UMass Lowell 7
Utah 18, Robert Morris 8
Vermont 14, Albany 6
Villanova 18, Providence 13
No. 4 Virginia 21, Quinnipiac 9