Friars Edged by Xavier in OT, Fall Out of 1st Place in the Big East
Thursday, February 02, 2023
Oh, what a game. It had it all except for Jared Bynum’s last-second shot connecting. His three-pointer bounced off the rim.
The No. 17/17 Providence College men's basketball team was defeated by the No. 16/15 Xavier Musketeers (18-5, 10-2 BIG EAST), 85-83, in overtime on Wednesday at Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
With a win, the Friars would have retained 1st place again in the Big East.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe Friars fell to 17-6 on the season and 9-3 in the conference.
Graduate student Noah Locke led the way for the Friars with 22 points, shooting 6-7 from three-point territory. Redshirt senior Ed Croswell (Philadelphia, Pa.) tacked on 21 points and nine boards.
Sophomore Bryce Hopkins posted a double-double, 10 points and 13 rebounds, but suffered through a brutal shooting night. Hopkins was just 3-14 from the field.
Bynum hit a major milestone, he became the 53rd player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points. Bynum finished with 11 points.
"I was proud of our tenacity," Head Coach Ed Cooley said. "We're looking to improve and I thought we got better in the last 30 minutes of the game. We just came up a little short today."
FIRST HALF:
- The Musketeers scored the first five points of the game. At the 18:35 mark, Devin Carter (Miami, Fla.) put the Friars on the board with a mid-range jumper.
- Xavier led 17-10 at the game's first media timeout (15:18 mark). Each team was off to a hot shooting start. The Musketeers had made six of their last seven shot attempts, while the Friars were four for their last five.
- The Musketeers went on a 13-2 scoring run, holding the Friars scoreless for nearly four minutes. PC trailed 26-12 with 10 minutes left in the half.
- At the 6:33 mark, Locke knocked down his third three-pointer of the game. The Friars cut the deficit to 11 points, 33-22.
- Carter powered an 8-0 run for the Friars, trimming the deficit even further at the end of the half. Xavier led 37-32 in the final minute.
- Bynum nailed a three-pointer to beat the halftime buzzer.
- Xavier held a four-point lead, 39-35, heading into the locker room. The Musketeers' lead was as high as 14 in the first half.
- PC's Croswell and Xavier's Jack Nunge each notched double figures before halftime.
- Providence shot 11-29 (37.9%) from the field, 5-10 (50.0%) from three and 8-10 (80.0%) from the free throw line.
- Xavier shot 14-35 (40.0%) from the field, 5-12 (41.7%) from three and 6-11 (54.5%) from the free throw line.
SECOND HALF:
- After allowing an early basket, the Friars went on an 8-0 run to take their first lead of the game. Carter scored two baskets during the run, continuing his hot scoring night.
- With over 15 minutes left in regulation, Locke and Xavier's Colby Jones traded three-balls. Bynum added a layup on the next possession for another lead change. PC led 49-48.
- The Friars went down by four, then answered with five straight points, including Locke's fifth three-pointer. PC regained the lead, 58-57, in a tight battle.
- With just over six minutes remaining in regulation, Xavier made a push and took a 65-64 lead. Croswell responded at the 5:48 mark with a contested bucket in the paint.
- Providence led 70-69 at the final media timeout of regulation (2:29 mark).
- Locke nailed his sixth three-ball with 2:10 left. Jack Nunge tied it with a dunk for the Musketeers on the ensuing possession. The game was knotted at 73.
- Bynum and Xavier's Adam Kunkel traded threes in the final sequence of regulation.
OVERTIME:
- Hopkins had the first basket of the overtime period for the Friars.
- The Friars used a timeout with 1:41 left, trailing 82-79.
- Hopkins slammed it home with 40 seconds to play. The Friars still trailed by three, 84-81.
- On the next Xavier possession, Carter picked off a pass and made a layup on the other end of the floor for the Friars. The Musketeers' lead dropped to one.
- Bynum's potential game-winning three-point attempt was off the mark.
HIGHLIGHTS:
- Providence finished 30-69 (43.5%) from the field, 9-20 (45.0%) from three and 14-18 (77.8%) from the free throw line.
- Xavier finished 32-69 (46.4%) from the field, 8-23 (34.8%) from three and 13-23 (56.5%) from the free throw line.
- Five players finished in double figures for the Friars: Locke (22), Croswell (21), Carter (15), Bynum (11) and Hopkins (10).
- Hopkins played the entire game for the Friars.
- The Friars held a narrow edge in the rebound battle, 44-40. Xavier dished four more assists and had three less turnovers.
- Jack Nunge led the way for the Musketeers with a double-double, 23 points and 14 boards (both game highs). Souley Boum and Colby Jones each recorded 20 points.
- There were 18 lead changes and seven ties in tonight's game.
NOTES:
- In tonight's game, Bynum became the 53rd player in program history to surpass 1,000 career points.
- Tonight marked the Friars' first overtime loss since Mar. 6, 2019 (76-70 loss versus Creighton). The Friars had won eight consecutive overtime games.
- The Friars' last matchup versus Xavier also went into overtime (99-94 victory in 3OT on Feb. 22, 2022).
- PC is 5-4 in road games this season, including 4-3 in BIG EAST action.
- The Friars are ranked No. 17 in the AP Poll and No. 17 in the Coaches Poll. It is the team's fourth week in the polls.
- PC is 2-2 against ranked teams this season (wins versus Marquette and UConn, losses at Marquette and Xavier).
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Friars will return home to take on the Georgetown Hoyas (6-17, 1-11 BIG EAST) on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. Tip-off is set for 8:00 p.m. The game will be televised on CBS Sports Network.
Georgetown holds a 47-32 all-time advantage over the Friars. The Friars swept the season series last year.
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