PC Upsets St. John’s at Madison Square Garden
Saturday, February 09, 2019
“We were playing for each other in the second half. We had a lot of fun today. We did not want to have a let down in the second half,” said PC’s Alpha Diallo after the PC 70-56 win over St John's University on Saturday. The Friar win breaks a painful three-game losing streak and is a tough loss for the Red Storm.
A Friar triple + ������ at @TheGarden! @PCfriarsmbb is having fun at their home away from home. #PCBB #BIGEASThoops pic.twitter.com/GcpVOHjK60
— #BIGEASThoops (@BIGEASTMBB) February 9, 2019
Nate Watson scored a Friar-high 18 points. The Friars improve to 4-7 in Big East play and 14-10 overall on the season.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTBut the most important stats may have been the Friars on the boards — PC crushed St. John's 43-23. Providence’s shooting. The Friars shot near 40 percent from the field and 41 percent from 3-point.
Senior guard Isaiah Jackson earned his fifth start of the season while Makai Ashton-Langford got the nod for his second start in the backcourt. Jackson entered the game averaging 8.9 points per game and put up 12 points this afternoon, adding seven rebounds and three assists. Diallo earned his seventh double-double of the season scoring 10 points and bringing down a career-high 15 rebounds.
Providence's own David Duke came out playing with a chip on his shoulder, knocking down a wing three followed by an emphatic dunk down the lane over Sedee Keita. Duke added a block on Shamorie Ponds. The score was even at 8-8 with 14:50 left to play in the first half. He finished with 11 points and three rebounds.
Diallo came into the contest as the second-best rebounder in the Big East averaging 8 per game. Diallo filled the stat sheet early tallying five points, seven rebounds and two assists in the half. Nate Watson (Arlington, Va.) added five points in the half and capped off a 5-0 run to give Providence a 24-21 lead with 4:28 to play.
Drew Edwards' ability to spread the floor extended the Friar lead to five, 30-25, with 1:12 left to play in the half. St. John's stepped up to Maliek White on the wing before he delivered a pass to a wide-open Edwards, who knocked down the triple from the corner.
