Friars Close Homestand with Blowout Win

The Providence College men’s basketball team defeated the Delaware State Hornets (2-3), 78-48, in a non-conference game on Tuesday, Nov. 19 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. With the win, the Friars improved to 5-0 on the season for the first time since the 2021-22 season. Freshman Oswin Erhunmwunse (Benin City, Nigeria) led the Friars with a team-high 13 points, going 6-for-6 from the field, while adding six rebounds. Corey Floyd Jr. (Franklin, N.J.) and Bensley Joseph (Arlington, Mass.) chipped in 12 and 11 points, respectively. Christ Essandoko (Clichy, France) anchored the team with 12 rebounds. Providence has now held its first five opponents under 70 points per game for the first time since the 1982-83 season.

“Good effort from our group as we continue to find out who we are,” Head Coach Kim English said. “We are taking steps in the right direction to keep improving and getting better. I’m proud of some things that we did, mostly the passion and spirit from our guys being into the game. We thought that was a good test for us today. I’m proud of our guys and we have a bit of a break before we go to the Bahamas to face the Oklahoma Sooners.”

FIRST HALF:

• Floyd Jr. kicked off the game’s scoring with a three-pointer just seconds after the opening jump ball (19:38).

• The two teams traded baskets until the Hornets hit a scoring drought of about two minutes, allowing the Friars to take a 9-4 lead heading into the first media timeout (15:55).

• Jayden Pierre (Elizabeth, N.J.) nailed a corner three-pointer right after the timeout (15:35). He then set up Erhunmwunse with a lob for an alley-oop dunk. The Hornets ended their scoring drought on the next possession, adding four points.

• With about nine minutes remaining, the Friars experienced a two-minute scoring drought which allowed Delaware State to narrow the score to 18-17 (9:44).

• The Friars restored their five-point advantage going into the under-8 timeout (7:54) the Friars led, 22-17.

• PC started to take control with a 9-0 run to prompt a Hornet timeout with 6:23 remaining. Friars led by 10, 27-17.

• Justyn Fernandez (Richmond, Va.) pushed the Friars’ run to 12 unanswered points with a corner three-pointer right after the timeout. This marks Fernandez’s first point as a Friar.

• The Friars closed the half with a 6-0 run over the final 3:16. Headed into the locker room, the Friars held a 36-23 lead.

• The Hornets went scoreless over the final 3:31 of the half as they missed all five of their field goal attempts.

• Seven Friars contributed to the scoring in the first half. Wesley Cardet Jr. (Tallahassee, Fla.) spearheaded the way with eight points, followed by Floyd Jr. with seven.

• Sophomores Kaseem Watson and Robert Smith led Delaware State in scoring with 11 and eight points, respectively. They contributed 18 of the team’s 21 first-half points.

• PC held a 22-12 edge over Delaware State in rebounds at half.

• Providence shot 12-28 (42.9%) from the field, 5-17 (29.4%) from three, and 7-11 (63.6%) from the free-throw line.

• Delaware State shot 11-26 (42.3%) from the field, and 1-4 (25.0%) from three.

SECOND HALF:

• Floyd Jr. Started off the second-half scoring with an emphatic dunk.

• At the first media timeout (15:47), the Friars held a 40-29 lead.

• Providence mounted an 8-0 run in just over a minute with Erhunmwunse, Jabri Abdur Rahim (South Orange, N.J.) and Rich Barron (Chicago, Ill.) all contributing. With 12:06 remaining in regulation, the Friars extended their lead to a game-high 50-33.

• The Friars continued to dominate, outscoring the Hornets 11-5 leading up to the under-8 media timeout (7:54). Friars led, 61-38.

• Delaware State struggled down the stretch, hitting only one of their final seven field goal attempts.

• The Friars capped off the game with a season-best 30-point lead, defeating Delaware State 78-48.

• HIGHLIGHTS:

• Providence finished 29-59 (49.2%) from the field, 11-33 (33.3%) from three and 9-13 (69.2%) from the free throw line.

• Delaware State finished 20-53 (37.7%) from the field, 1-7 (14.3%) from three and 7-15 (46.7%) from the free throw line.

• Three Friars scored in double figures: Erhunmwunse (13), Floyd Jr. (12), and Joseph (11).

• Providence outscored Delaware State, 42-25, in the second half.

• PC outrebounded the Hornets, 48-24, including 26-12 in the second half.

• The Friars outscored Delaware State in bench points (23-8), points in the paint (22-12), and points off turnovers (7-3)

• Kaseem Watson led the Hornet offense with 18 points.

NOTES

• Attendance: 7,489

• The Friars have now posted an 8-1 mark versus current teams in the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference.

• The Friars are 5-0 for the first time since 2021-22.

• PC has now held its first five opponents under 70 points per game for the first time since the 1982-83 season.

UP NEXT

Providence will head to Paradise Island, Bahamas, to compete in the 2024 Battle 4 Atlantis. The Friars will play three games, starting with a matchup against the Oklahoma Sooners (3-0) on Wednesday, November 27, at 5:00 p.m. on ESPN2. On Thursday, November 28, they will face either Davidson or No. 17/17 Arizona, followed by their final game of the tournament on Friday, November 29.

PC returns to the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Tuesday, December 3, to host the BYU Cougars. Tip-off is set for 8:30 p.m. on FS1. Tickets can be purchased at Friars.com or by calling 401-865-GOPC.