Winners of eight straight, Providence returns to action Tuesday night at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center against a Marquette team that’s 0-2 in Big East play. The Friars were shocked by Marquette, 65-64, after rallying down the stretch.
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With Marquette leading by one after a strong drive for a basket by redshirt sophomore Duane Wilson, Providence had the ball with 24 seconds on both the game and shot clocks. Then, after a timeout, the Friars failed to maneuver for a clean look and Kris Dunn’s fallaway shot from deep was blocked by freshman star Henry Ellenson. But he didn’t score again until he hit a 3-pointer with 4 1-2 minutes left in the first half to cut Providence’s deficit to 24-17.
Ben Simmons added 14 points and 10 rebounds for the Tigers (9-5, 2-0 Southeastern Conference), who never trailed after tying the game at 2 and kept their lead at or near double digits for much of the game to the delight of a packed and energized Pete Maravich assembly Center.
The Marquette Golden Eagles come into this game with a 10-4 record and are now 8th in the Big East. The Golden Eagles have lost their last 2 games with their most recent game being a 80-70 defeat to Georgetown.
As the buzzer sounded, PC coach Ed Cooley went onto the court to argue for a foul call, with no success. Dunn contributed 10 points and four assists in the first half, while Bentil added six points. The Golden Eagles are 3-14 against the spread in their last 17 games vs. a team with a winning percentage above.600. Dunn finally ended the drought with 15:40 left in the half on a layup.
Marquette forward Henry Ellenson (13) secures a loose ball beating out Providence guard Jalen Lindsey (21) for possession during the first half of their NCAA college basketball game, Tuesday, Jan. 5, 2016, in Providence, R.I.
ABOUT PROVIDENCE (14-1, 2-0): The Friars have had some slow starts in games this season – including Saturday when they fell behind 18-11 seven minutes in – but have eventually established their often-superior athleticism, the latest spark coming from backup guard Kyron Cartwright.
Mike Gesell had 22 points and 10 assists for his first career double-double with the surging Hawkeyes (12-3, 3-0 Big Ten).
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Northeastern 5, UConn 1 – Paige Savage led the No. 8 Huskies (15-4-1) with a goal and assists on third-period goals by Halle Silva and McKenna Brand. Marquette is a talented team that should be able to work their way into the NIT conversation, but they are not a legitimate national title contender like the Friars.
