PC Runs by Rams at Ryan Center
Saturday, December 24, 2011
One thing is becoming increasingly clear about this year's edition of the Providence Friar basketball team - their guards are tough to slow down.
Led by a second half surge from sophomore Bryce Cotton, who hit back-to-back three pointers that broke open a tight game, PC beat URI 80-61 Friday night at the Ryan Center in Kingston, RI. The win for the Friars is their first ever in Rhody's on-campus arena, after losing four straight. Furthermore, going back to the last time PC actually played the Rams on the URI campus, it's the first Providence win in Kingston since February of 1971 - nearly 41 years ago.
A slow start and sloppy first half from both sides resulted in an early Ram advantage, with URI's full court defensive pressure giving PC some problems getting up the floor. URI led 14-7 with 12:20 to play in the first half, when the Friars managed a 10-2 run to take their first lead of the game with 9:30 remaining in the half, at 17-16. The Rams, behind solid inside play from 6-9 freshman Jonathan Holton, managed a 9-2 run of their own to re-take the lead...only to have the Friars' Vincent Council finish strong and lead PC to a 35-33 advantage at the half.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTIt could have been worse, as the Friars held URI to just 29% shooting in the opening 20 minutes (the Rams missing 9 of their final 10 shots of the half), while hitting 48% of their own shots from the floor. Rhody was able to keep it close, thanks to poor free throw shooting by PC (11-21), and by limiting their own mistakes - turning the ball over just three times in the half.
The second half stayed tight, and with a 41-40 Providence lead four minutes in, Cotton went to work. His back-to-back three's sparked an 8-0 run to give the Friars a 49-40 margin, and after the Rams answered with four points of their own to close back within five, PC pulled away. All told, a 16-5 Providence run over a span of 4:14 turned a tight game into a sprint to the finish - a Friar sprint. Rhode Island continually tried to find a way to slow down the speedy PC guards, yet never could quite find a way to do it. Cotton led PC with 19 points - 16 in the second half - while Council added 15 points, six rebounds and six assists, and sophomore Gerard Coleman contributed 16 points and six rebounds of his own.
The "Killer C's" combined for 50 of the 80 total points, and got help from freshman Brice Kofane, Bilal Dixon and Ron Giplaye in the middle. The three big men combined for 14 points and 14 rebounds, with three blocks. Kofane's night included career highs with eight points and 10 rebounds. Freshman forward LaDontae Henton had a strong second half, scoring all eight of his points after halftime, and contributing nine rebounds as well, with three steals.
Besides the offensive pop from Cotton, the Friars' advantage on the backboards proved to be a big factor - a 50-33 rebound margin allowed PC the ability to run the ball up the floor at will off of missed URI shots, and the Rams were rarely able to catch up. In the end, that was the story to the contest...and it seems to be a central theme to the PC season.
Friar/Ram Notes
PC's win moves them to 11-2 on the season, matching last year's 11-2 start prior to Big East play - which was the best start after 13 games for the Friars since the 1988-89 season...the win also gives Providence a seven-game win streak for the first time since 2000, and the first back-to-back wins in the series in nine years...PC held URI to just 30% shooting from the floor (a season low for the Rams), and only 15% (3-20) from three-point range...Holton led the Rams with 15 points, six rebounds and four blocks, while Orion Outerbridge and Mike Powell each had 13 points...it was a tough night for newcomers' Andre Malone (Auburn transfer) and Billy Baron (Virginia transfer). Malone scored just four points on 1-7 shooting in 15 minutes, playing in foul trouble much of the way, while Baron scored only three points and was 0-7 from the floor in 26 minutes...leading scorer Jamal Wilson returned from a short suspension, coming off of the bench with five points and four rebounds in 24 minutes, but hitting just 1-12 from the floor...Rhody falls to 1-11 on the year with their 8th straight loss, and their worst start to a season since 1974-75...The Friars' ability to get out and run more often in the second half - keyed by the rebound margin - proved to be a difference maker. PC hit on 15 of their final 27 attempts, mostly in transition, while the Rams struggled, mostly from the perimeter. URI managed to hit on only nine of their final 37 shots from the floor...the win for PC is also their third true road win of the season - the first time the Friars have had at least three road wins in non-league play since 1977-78, before the Big East was even born...speaking of the Big East, Providence will open up league play on the road at St. John's Tuesday, December 27 at 7:00 pm (103.7 WEEI-FM, www.friars.com) while Rhode Island will play James Madison at 9:30 pm on Thursday, December 29 at the UCF Holiday Classic in Orlando, FL...
