He more than tripled his season high Saturday in the Wildcats’ impressive 72-60 road victory at 11th-ranked Providence. Yet in a season where it’s felt as if the Friars are always on the mend, Cooley has to be wondering when will enough prove to be enough? “We tell him ‘Darryl you are improving, people just don’t see it, they are going to.’ He got his opportunity”.
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ABOUT PROVIDENCE (18-5, 6-4): Once Bentil left Tuesday’s game, fellow star Kris Dunn had a hard time carrying the load, finishing with a 5-of-20 shooting night.
But the Wildcats handled the Friars’ full court pressure down the stretch, knocking down open shots late in the shot clock, and capitalizing on extra possessions via offensive rebounds. Freshman Quadree Smith sat out eight straight games, though officially the burly forward missed five games after breaking his hand shortly before the start of Big East play. “The goal is to keep it going”.
“I wouldn’t say his length bothered [me], but I think I needed to make better decisions with the ball than I did”, Hayes said. Head coach Ed Cooley struggled to figure out how to break through against the ‘Nova defense.
Another first-year Friar (Ryan Fazekas) was out of the equation for six straight contests after suffering from a case of mononucleosis. The Wildcats are also 19-3 overall. The Wildcats three losses are to Oklahoma, the nation’s No. 1 team, Virginia (ranked No. 9), and the 16th-ranked Friars.
No. 2 North Carolina also lost, falling 80-76 at Notre Dame. By the time he entered the game, his team was down 10-0 after just 2:10.
Villanova did not take its foot off the gas pedal the way it did in the loss to Providence.
Bonzie Colson added 19 points and 10 rebounds for Notre Dame (16-7, 7-4). Brice Johnson had 14 points and 14 rebounds. He recorded 20 points for the Friars off of the bench. He battled his way to 20 points but grabbed only two rebounds. Mindaugus Kacinas finished with 11 points.
Guard Jalen Lindsey missed the DePaul loss with the flu. Earlier in the half, he swished a 3 as part of a 14-4 run that brought the Friars within 56-50 with 5:55 remaining. Cooley would eventually take him out for good early in the second half. “The 6’9” forward has added the 3-pointer to his repertoire, averaging one make per game.
No. 13 Iowa State 64, (at) Oklahoma State 59: Georges Niang had 18 points and nine rebounds. After all, he is replacing a senior leader who puts up 9.7 ppg along with 8.3 rpg.
Villanova’s three-point barrage was a complete reversal of what the Wildcats did to beat the Blue Jays, 85-71, last month in Omaha.
King McClure and Ishmail Wainright had 11 points each for Baylor (17-6, 6-4).
153: Not only is Bentil leading the league in free throws made and attempted, he leads everyone in field goal attempts and makes. The Hawkeyes haven’t won the conference since 1979.
Sammy Barnes-Thompkins scored 11 for Boston College (7-16, 0-10). They saw a 15-point second half lead shrink, but only down to five.
Reynolds scored a career-high 19 points on Saturday, taking advantage of a lackluster frontline and a banged-up Bentil. He’s now at 127, while only Billy Garrett Jr. of DePaul (96) and Marquette’s Henry Ellenson (93) are over 90. He continues look like not just a first-team all-Big East performer, but potentially the Big East player of the Year.
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Otis Livingston led George Mason (8-15, 2-8) with 21 points.
