PC Star Bryce Hopkins Exits With Leg Injury, Friars Fall To Seton Hall Wednesday

Providence College Press Release

PROVIDENCE, R.I. – The No. 23/23 Providence College men’s basketball team was defeated by the Seton Hall Pirates (9-5, 2-1 BIG EAST), 61-57, on Wednesday, Jan. 3 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. The Friars fell to 11-3 overall and 2-1 in BIG EAST play. Graduate student Josh Oduro (Gainesville, Va.) led the way with a game-high 23 points. Junior Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) finished with a double-double, tacking on 10 points and 10 rebounds along with six assists.

“It’s exactly the type of game we knew it would be,” Head Coach Kim English said. “Gritty, tough, physical. At the end of the day, it just came down to making plays.”

“Our prayers are with Bryce and his family tonight,” English said. “We’re hoping for good news tomorrow when we get scans.”

FIRST HALF:

•Oduro scored the first basket of the game. Seton Hall answered with an 8-0 run, which included two early three-pointers.

•After starting 1-4 from the field, the Friars made four of their next five shots.

•Midway through the first half, the Friars went on a 15-2 scoring run to take a 17-10 lead. Seton Hall had missed nine of their last 10 shots and had not scored in nearly three minutes.

•Oduro scored 10 of the Friars’ first 17 points.

•At the 8:37 mark, Oduro ended a three-minute scoring drought with a quick jumper in the paint. The Friars led 21-14.

•Late in the first half, Dre Davis and Kadary Richmond spearheaded a 12-0 run for the Pirates. Seton Hall regained the lead, 26-22.

•At the 0:51 mark, Corey Floyd, Jr. (Franklin, N.J.) finished a reverse layup in transition to end a seven-minute scoring drought for the Friars. Seton Hall answered with a three-ball in the final seconds of the half.

•The Pirates led 29-24 at halftime.

•24 points marks the lowest first half scoring total for the Friars this season.

•Providence shot 10-27 (37.0%) from the field, 1-9 (11.1%) from three and 3-4 (75.0%) from the free throw line.

•Seton Hall shot 12-36 (33.3%) from the field, 4-10 (40.0%) from three and 1-2 (50.0%) from the free throw line.

SECOND HALF:

•Bryce Hopkins (Oak Park, Ill.) knocked down two free throws to open the second half for the Friars.

•At the 15:36 mark, Seton Hall’s Dre Davis connected on another triple. The Pirates took an eight-point lead, 37-29.

•Hopkins left the game with an injury at the 14:59.

•With the Friars struggling on offense, Garwey Dual (Houston, Texas) and Carter made back-to-back three-pointers to cut the deficit to four. PC trailed 41-37 with 12 minutes left to play.

•With eight minutes left, Seton Hall held a slim 46-43 lead.

•After starting 6-6 from the field, Oduro missed nine of his next 10 attempts.

•At the 6:37 mark, Floyd hauled in a high alley-oop pass from Carter in transition and finished a layup. The Friars were on a 10-2 scoring run and gained their first lead (47-46) since the 4:03 mark of the first half.

•Heading to the final media timeout (3:43 mark), PC trailed 55-51.

•After a 9-2 run by Seton Hall, the Friars used a timeout with less than two minutes remaining. The Pirates had made four of their last five shots, while the Friars had missed three of their last four.

•At the 0:17 mark, Oduro scored in the paint to narrow the gap to two. On the ensuing defensive possession, the Friars forced a turnover, but failed to capitalize on offense.

NOTES/HIGHLIGHTS:   

•Providence finished 20-54 (37.0%) from the field, 4-17 (23.5%) from three and 13-15 (86.7%) from the free throw line.

•Seton Hall finished 21-58 (36.2%) from the field, 7-16 (43.8%) from three and 12-16 (75.0%) from the free throw line.

•Two players finished in double figures for the Friars in Oduro (23) and Carter (10). Four players finished in double figures for the Pirates.

•Seton Hall outrebounded the Friars by a margin of two, 38-36.

•The Friars had 11 assists, while the Pirates finished with six.

•The Friars finished their fewest three-pointers of the season (4).

•The Friars are 46-4 in their last 50 games at the AMP and 628-239 all-time.

•The Friars are ranked No. 23 in the AP Poll (Jan. 1) and No. 23 in the Coaches Poll (Jan. 2).

•Providence leads Seton Hall 57-56 all-time.

•Attendance – 11,458

WHAT’S NEXT:   

•The Friars will travel to Omaha, Neb. on Saturday, Jan.6 to play the Creighton Bluejays in a BIG EAST matchup.

•Providence holds a 19-14 all-time series edge over the Bluejays. The last time the two teams met, the Friars won, 94-86, in an overtime thriller on Feb. 14, 2023.