Friars Win 5th Straight — 80-74 Over Xavier
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Friars Win 5th Straight — 80-74 Over Xavier
The Friars' record advanced to 18-12 on the season and 11-6 in BIG EAST play. This was the Friars' fifth straight win.
It is the first time in the Friars' history in the BIG EAST that they defeated each of their conference opponents at least once in the regular conference season.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTThe win solidifies the Friars NCAA selection position. The Friars are now assured of a 4th place position in the Big East.
"We got out a great start and held off a feisty team," PC coach Ed Cooley said. "I thought all eight players that stepped on the floor contributed. When it was time to execute, I thought Pip [Luwane Pipkins] made some big-time shots scoring those five points final 70 seconds of the game."
Alpha Diallo had a game-high 25 points and four rebounds and Luwane Pipkins scored 23 points.
David Duke also contributed 16 points in the win.
The Friars jumped out to a 10-2 early and forced an early Xavier timeout with 16:31 on the clock.
The Friars repeatedly built 15-point leads in the first half and then had to face a series of Xavier runs.
First Half
With nine minutes left in the first half, the Friars held a 28-15 lead. Xavier had not scored a field goal in over two minutes. Dontarius James broke the drought for the Musketeers, but Reeves returned the favor with a three on the other end.
At the 7:35 media timeout, the Friars held their largest lead to that point, at 15. The Friars had made seven of their last nine shots. Duke made another three-pointer with the shot clock winding down. The Friars had made three-pointers on three of their last four possessions.
Second Half Challenge
The second half was a series of runs by Providence and Xavier.
The final minutes were white knuckle for Friar fans. Xavier cut the lead to 1 point in the final two minutes.
Providence brought the lead back to three with a Diallo layup, but Xavier matched it yet again. The Musketeers took a timeout with 1:39 remaining, down one point. The Friars had the ball and Pipkins knocked down his fourth three of the night with the clock shot winding down. It would prove to be the Friars' only three of the second half but it was a big one. Providence then forced a turnover on the other end, followed by another Pipkins basket in the paint. Young pulled down the rebound to close out the game.
Providence finished 29-56 (51.8%) from the field, 9-22 (40.9%) from three, and 13-19 (68.4%) from the free-throw line. Xavier finished 27-53 (50.9%) from the field, 6-16 (37.5%) from three, and 14-19 (73.7%) from the free-throw line. Naji Marshall was the leading scorer for the Musketeers, tying a game-high 25 points.
Final Home Game
In the final game of the regular season, the Friars will be back home on Saturday, March 7 for Senior Night against the DePaul Blue Demons. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on FS1.