#20 Providence Runs Past Georgetown

The No. 20/17 Providence College men’s basketball team defeated the Georgetown Hoyas (6-19, 1-13 BIG EAST), 74-62, on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. The Friars improved to 18-6 on the season and 10-3 in BIG EAST play. With the win, the Friars earned their 13th win of the season at home as well as their 10th league win. The Friars have now recorded 10 or more BIG EAST wins in eight of Ed Cooley’s 12 seasons at Providence.

“We’re always excited to come home and play in front of our home crowd,” Cooley said. “I was proud of how we came out and how we finished. Our players continue to get better and better.”

Sophomore Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) led the way for the Friars with 17 points, six rebounds and four assists. Sophomore Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) chipped in with 12 points, nine boards and seven assists. Four players finished in double figures for the Friars.

FIRST HALF:

Carter knocked down the first shot for the Friars. The Friars gained an early 9-5 lead.
At the 13:20 mark, Hopkins buried the Friars’ first three-pointer. PC held a 14-12 lead.
The Friars went on a 16-1 run to take a double-digit advantage, 30-17. The Friars had made five of their last six shot attempts, while the Hoyas had missed five of their last six.
Hopkins was the first player to notch double figures. He opened the game with a 4-6 clip from the field.
Georgetown cut the deficit to six with just over five minutes left in the half. The Friars answered with an alley-oop slam by Carter and a basket by Clifton Moore (Ambler, Pa.).
“Everyday we get better in transition,” Carter said. “It’s one of our strong suits.”
With less than a minute until halftime, Hopkins hauled in a rebound and hit Alyn Breed (Powder Springs, Ga.) in stride for a fastbreak bucket. PC led 39-27.
The Friars held a nine-point lead, 39-30, heading into the locker room.
Providence shot 16-33 (48.5%) from the field, 4-13 (30.8%) from three and 3-4 (75.0%) from the free throw line.
Georgetown shot 10-25 (40.0%) from the field, 3-6 (50.0%) from three and 7-8 (87.5%) from the free throw line.
SECOND HALF:

Jared Bynum (Largo, Md.) scored in the paint and knocked down a three-ball to start the second half.
At the 16:30 mark, Moore finished through contact and converted a three-point play. The Friars held a 49-37 lead at the first media timeout of the half (15:49 mark).
Georgetown went scoreless for over four minutes as the second half progressed. In the meantime, the Friars went on an 8-0 run to extend their lead to 17.
At the 11:34 mark, Jayden Pierre (Elizabeth, N.J.) found Ed Croswell (Philadelphia, Pa.) on an inbounds pass for a highlight alley-oop slam.
The Hoyas narrowed the gap to single digits with a 10-2 run, making five of their last six shots. PC led 56-47.
After the Hoyas cut into the deficit, PC answered with back-to-back three-pointers by Locke and Hopkins. The Friars once again extended the lead into double digits.
With just over five minutes left, Hopkins rejected a Georgetown shot and ran coast-to-coast to finish an alley-oop dunk from Carter on the other end. PC led 68-55.
“Dunks are energy-givers,” Cooley said. “They give energy to our players, coaching staff and bench.”
HIGHLIGHTS:

Providence finished 28-64 (43.8%) from the field, 8-21 (38.1%) from three and 10-13 (76.9%) from the free throw line.
Georgetown finished 22-55 (40.0%) from the field, 3-15 (20.0%) from three and 15-18 (83.3%) from the free throw line.
Four players finished in double figures for the Friars: Hopkins (17), Croswell (12), Carter (12) and Locke (11).
The Friars finished with a slight edge in the rebound battle, controlling the glass by a margin of 38-33. The Friars also dished eight more assists in the game.
Bradley Ezewiro led the way for the Hoyas with 19 points on 8-9 from the field. Primo Spears and Brandon Murray added 18 and 16 points, respectively.
The Hoyas did not make a three-pointer in the second half (0-9).
Attendance – 11,890
NOTES:

The Friars are 13-0 at home this season, 34-1 in their last 35 games at the AMP and 617-236 (.723) all-time.
The Friars are 6-0 in BIG EAST home games this season with wins over Georgetown, Marquette, UConn, St. John’s, DePaul and Butler.
The Friars are ranked No. 20 in the AP Poll and No. 17 in the Coaches Poll. It is the team’s fifth week in the polls.
Bynum eclipsed 1,000 points for his career in the Friars’ loss at Xavier on Feb. 1, 2023.
This marks the 8th time in Cooley’s 12 seasons as a head coach at Providence that the Friars have registered 10 or more BIG EAST wins.
WHAT’S NEXT:

The Friars will travel to take on the St. John’s Red Storm (14-11, 4-10 BIG EAST) on Saturday, Feb. 11 at 12:00 p.m. at Madison Square Garden. The game will be televised on FOX.
St. John’s holds a 64-57 all-time edge over the Friars. PC earned an 83-80 home victory over the Red Storm earlier this season on Jan. 7, 2023. The Friars swept the season series last year.