Pipkins, Diallo Power PC Past Xavier For Friars Fifth Straight Win

Providence College Press Release

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The Providence College men’s basketball team defeated the Xavier Musketeers, 80-74, on Wednesday, March 4 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. The Friars’ record advanced to 18-12 on the season and 11-6 in BIG EAST play. This was the Friars fifth straight win.

This is the first time in the Friars’ history in the BIG EAST that they defeated each of their conference opponents at least once in the regular conference season.

“We got out a great start and held off a fiesty team,” Head Coach Ed Cooley said. “I thought all eight players that stepped on the floor contributed. When it was time to execute, I thought Pip [Luwane Pipkins] made some big-time shots scoring those five points final 70 seconds of the game.”

Alpha Diallo (Providence, R.I.) and Luwane Pipkins (Chicago, Ill.) were the driving forces in the win. Diallo had a game-high 25 points and four rebounds, while Pipkins was not far off with 23. David Duke (Providence, R.I.) also contributed 16 points in the win.

Pipkins opened up the game for the Friars with a deep three-pointer. A.J. Reeves (Roxbury, Mass.) contributed early with a layup, followed by a David Duke (Providence, R.I.) three-pointer on the ensuing offensive possession. The Friars led 10-2 and forced an Xavier timeout with 16:31 on the clock.

Diallo and Pipkins scored from downtown to continue the Friars hot streak from deep. After adding two more layups, the Friars went on a 7-0 run and took a 22-8 lead, forcing another Xavier timeout.

With nine minutes left in the first half, the Friars held a 28-15 lead. Xavier had not scored a field goal in over two minutes. Dontarius James broke the drought for the Musketeers, but Reeves returned the favor with a three on the other end.

At the 7:35 media timeout, the Friars held their largest lead to that point, at 15. The Friars had made seven of their last nine shots. Duke made another three-pointer with the shot clock winding down. The Friars had made three-pointers on three of their last four possessions.

Providence led 42-31 with 3:39 remaining in the half. KyKy Tandy knocked down a corner three for the Musketeers shortly after to cut the deficit to single digits. In the final second of the half, Diallo drew a foul on a three-pointer and made two of the free throws.

Providence led the way at halftime, 47-38. Providence shot 16-31 (51.6%) from the field, 8-16 (50.0%) from three, and 7-9 (77.8%) from the free throw line. Xavier shot 12-23 (52.2%) from the field, 3-8 (37.5%) from three, and 11-13 (84.6%) from the free throw line.

Reeves opened up the half with a second chance dunk. The Musketeers came out of the locker room strong though, starting the half with a 7-0 run and cutting their deficit to four. Heading into the first media timeout, the Friars led 51-48.

Xavier opened the half 5-8 from the field, with two made three-pointers. The Friars began 1-8 from the field. With just under 14 minutes remaining, Diallo banked it in from mid-range to break a long field goal drought. Providence led 55-50.

Kalif Young (Vaughan, Ontario) finished a contested shot in the paint to extend the Friar lead to 60-54. Both teams were finding their points mainly from the paint during this stretch. Naji Marshall cut the deficit to a mere two points with a transition dunk.

Diallo continued to have his way in the paint, making back-to-back field goals. The intensity increased as Xavier kept it close. The Friars led 71-70 at the four-minute mark.

Providence brought the lead back to three with a Diallo layup, but Xavier matched it yet again. The Musketeers took a timeout with 1:39 remaining, down one point. The Friars had the ball and Pipkins knocked down his fourth three of the night with the clock shot winding down.  It would prove to be the Friars’ only three of the second half but it was a big one. Providence then forced a turnover on the other end, followed by another Pipkins basket in the paint. Young pulled down the rebound to close out the game.

Providence finished 29-56 (51.8%) from the field, 9-22 (40.9%) from three, and 13-19 (68.4%) from the free throw line. Xavier finished 27-53 (50.9%) from the field, 6-16 (37.5%) from three, and 14-19 (73.7%) from the free throw line. Naji Marshall was the leading scorer for the Musketeers, tying a game-high 25 points.

The Friars finished with three players in double-figures in Diallo, Duke, and Pipkins. They never surrendered the lead at any point in the game.

In the final game of the regular season, the Friars will be back home on Saturday, March 7 for Senior Night against the DePaul Blue Demons. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on FS1.

-GO FRIARS-