David Duke sparked the Friars in the second half. PHOTO: PC Athletics
The Providence College Friars men’s basketball team used a second-half surge to cruise past the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) 76-47 on Saturday afternoon at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
PC was sparked by sophomore David Duke, who poured in 21 points while grabbing five rebounds and dishing out five assists.
“David is the hardest working player in the country. He is in the gym three, four times a day, at night, having our development center open 24 hours. He literally takes advantage of that. I’m happy to see that it’s paying off,” said PC head coach Ed Cooley after the game.
The Friars improve to 2-0 on the season, while NJIT falls to 0-2.
Duke Sparks Second Half Surge
After leading by 15 points at the break, the Friars saw NJIT cut their lead to nine, 37-28, on a three by Zach Cooks with 15:55 to play in the game.
After the two teams traded possessions and turnovers, the Friars would seal the win with a 16-0 run.
The run started when Duke knocked down a three to push the Friars lead to 40-28 with 14:25 to play in the game.
On the Friars’ next possession, senior Maliek White knocked down a three of his own to give Providence a 43-28 lead with just under 14 minutes to play.
After a Duke jumper extended the Friars lead to 45-28, Emmitt Holt knocked down a straightaway three off a pass from AJ Reeves to put Providence up by 20, 48-28 with 12:33 to play.
Duke would add another jumper, and then Alpha Diallo would hit a three to cap off the run, putting Providence up 53-28 with 10:41 to play.
NJIT would not threaten the rest of the way as PC would cruise to the win.
Diallo finished the game with 15 points and ten rebounds for his first double-double of the season.
PC Overcomes Slow Start in 1st Half
After knocking down 16 threes in their season-opening win over Sacred Heart, the Friars got off to a slow start against NJIT.
After trailing 6-2 early in the game, Providence took an 11-8 lead on a three by Duke with 13:14 left to play in the half.
Leading 13-10 with 11:37 to play in the frame, Providence went on a 15-5 run to take a 25-15 lead on a Diallo dunk with 5:37 to play.
Despite hitting on just two of 12 three-pointers in the half, Providence would take a 34-19 lead into the break.
Next Up
The Friars return to action on Wednesday, November 13 when they visit Northwestern.
Game time is set for 9 p.m.
Related Slideshow: Everything to Know About PC Basketball in 2019-20
Providence returns their entire starting lineup and a majority of their key bench players from last season.
Alpha Diallo
The returnees are led by senior forward Alpha Diallo.
Diallo was a unanimous selection to the Preseason All-Big East First Team.
"I think Alpha is a heck of a player, and he has gotten better every year. The thing is, he wants to be good, and he works hard to be good. I think the only thing he has to work on to get to the next level is his jump shot," said Friars' radio analyst Joe Hassett.
Last season, Diallo averaged 16 points and 8.1 rebounds for the Friars. His eight rebounds ranked second in the Big East.
For his career, Diallo has recorded 1,155 points in 99 games (11.7 ppg).
Emmitt Holt
Holt is entering his sixth season of eligibility with the Friars after sitting out all of the 2017-18 campaign, and the majority of the 2018-19 campaign due too health issues.
"He can have a big impact. To come back from that sickness and the surgery that he had is unbelievable. But, you know that old saying, “that guy knows how to play,” well, Holt knows how to play. He’s always in the right place at the right time, and he can hit that foul line jump shot," said Hassett.
With Nate Watson out with injury for a few more weeks, Holt could see significant playing time right away.
David Duke
Providence native David Duke had an up and down freshman season with the Friars.
In 34 games, Duke averaged seven points and two assists per game, while also averaging two turnovers per game.
“Duke was thrown into a spot last year to play the hardest position in college basketball, point guard. He was a freshman and he was trying to learn it as the year went on. The one thing I talked to David about is going north and south this year, as opposed to east and west, which is what he did a lot last year. I think he will be much improved this year in every aspect of his game,” added Hassett.
This season, Duke will be able to build off the experience of playing in the Pan-American Games over the summer.
Maliek White
Along with Diallo and Holt, White is the most experienced player on the Friars roster.
Last season, White played in 33 games and averaged 23 minutes per game, mostly coming off the bench for Ed Cooley.
White averaged seven points, 2.3 assists and one steal per game for the Friars last season, and was almost always in the game for crucial situations.
AJ Reeves
Sharpshooter AJ Reeves had his freshman season derailed by a foot injury.
Upon his return in the middle of Big East play, he and the Friars offense struggled to get it going.
In 25 games, Reeves averaged ten points and three rebounds per game, while shooting 42% from the field and 38% from three.
The addition of Luwane Pipkins, and his ability to shoot the three will take some pressure off of Reeves and allow him to get better looks.
The biggest addition to the Friars roster is point guard Luwane Pipkins.
Pipkins transferred to Providence from UMass as a grad student in the offseason.
“I think the addition of Pipkins as the point guard is huge. He can hit the three, he gives the Friars flexibility and he will free up Reeves on the outside. Now, you have two guys on the floor that can make the three, freeing up Diallo and Nate Watson inside, because now teams can’t double them,” said Hassett.
Last season at UMass, Pipkins averaged 16 points, five rebounds and five assists per game, but missed time due to injury.
In 25 games played, Pipkins shot 34% from the field and 28% from three.
Along with Pipkins, the Friars also welcome freshman Greg Gantt to the roster.
Gantt, a 6’7” forward from Fayetteville, North Carolina, was ranked as the 53rd best prospect in the country by ESPN during his recruitment.
Last season, the Friars finished at or near the bottom of the Big East, and the country, in almost every statistical category.
PC was the only Big East team to average under 70 points per game (68.7) in conference play, while finishing last in the Big East in field goal percentage, free throw percentage, and three-point field goal percentage.
“Well, I mean there is nowhere to go but up from last year for us. From the perimeter, our game wasn’t very good. I think we will be a better shooting team, a higher assist team, and I think we will score the ball a little easier based on experience and skill,” said PC head coach Ed Cooley during his media session last week.
Look for the Friars to try and play faster on offense, as opposed to last season when they slowed the pace down on a consistent basis. That made every offensive possession a grind, and it didn't work.
Pipkins ability to shoot the three should open up space for Diallo and Watson, and others down low.
"I think Pipkins makes all the difference on offense. Last year, offense was a struggle, defensively the Friars were good. I think he will make a big difference this year," said Hassett.
In a secret scrimmage last week at Purdue, the Friars edged the Boilermakers 60-53.
That win came a week after the Friars beat Stonehill in an exhibition game at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center.
“From our Stonehill outing to the outing at Purdue, I thought our players paid a little bit more attention to detail, they were a lot more focused and a lot tougher,” said Cooley.
Providence was led in the game by Diallo, who poured in 22 points on 7 of 14 shooting from the field, while also grabbing 12 rebounds.
Holt was the only other Friar in double figures, as he scored ten points and grabbed three rebounds.
The PC defense held the Boilermakers to just 28% shooting from the field and 21% from three.
