Turnovers Doom Friars — PC Loses to Creighton in OT 76-70
Thursday, March 07, 2019
With just 11 minutes left in the game, the Providence College Friars had scored just 32 points and were getting blown out by Creighton. Over the next ten minutes, the Friars shifted to a zone, couldn’t miss a shot and tied the game 59-59 sending the game to overtime.
The Friars shot well for the game — 45 percent from the field, but turned the ball over a painful 18 times — and each turnover seemed more mistimed than the previous.
PC ultimately fell to the Bluejays in overtime, 76-70, on Wednesday in the CHI Health Center Omaha.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTRegulation to Overtime Loss
Senior Isaiah Jackson capped off a 25-9 run to end regulation after converting an and-one basket with 14 seconds remaining. Creighton regained the lead with three minutes to go in overtime and never looked back, propelling them to their six-point win.
Jackson and Kalif Young each tallied season-highs in the scoring column. Jackson scored a team-high 21 points while Young added 12 points and four rebounds off the bench. Alpha Diallo recorded his ninth double-double of the season chipping in 13 points and 12 rebounds, despite being in foul trouble for most of the game. Nate Watson snapped his streak of six straight games in double figures, tallying eight points and four rebounds.
Providence's bench played a factor in their second-half run, scoring 36 of the Friars' 70 points in the game. The Friars dominated in the paint while Creighton excelled with their three-point shooting. Providence scored 46 points in the paint compared to Creighton's 28, while the Bluejays scored 27 points off three-point baskets opposed to the Friars' 12 points from behind the arc.
Head Coach Ed Cooley's two-three matchup zone stifled the Bluejay offense early, holding them to 0-3 from behind the three-point arc to build a 4-2 lead upon the first media timeout (15:58). Creighton's main point of attack from three-point territory started to show, knocking down three of their next four during a 13-1 run to take a 15-5 advantage. Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) stunted the run converting a basket while being fouled.
The Friars ripped off a 9-0 run to trim the lead to one, 15-14 (7:11). Diallo added a layup before Watson and A.J. Reeves (Roxbury, Mass.) hit jump shots, Jackson capped off the run knocking down a three from the left wing on his first three-point attempt of the night.
The game of runs built a 28-25 advantage in favor of Creighton at the break.
Despite the deficit, the Friars closed out the half on a 6-0 run, holding the Bluejays offense to 0-8 from the field and zero points over the final 3:47. Watson scored eight points in the half on a perfect 4-4 from the field. Diallo added three points and six rebounds.
Creighton Led by 16
Creighton extended their lead to 16, 48-32, with 11:58 left to play. Transition baskets and points from the charity stripe fueled a 16-3 run.
The Bluejays led by as much of 16 before Providence trimmed the deficit to single digits, 53-44 (7:43). Young brought energy off the bench for Cooley -- amid a 10-3 run, Young scored eight of his season-high 12 points.
Providence trailed by three with 29 seconds remaining before sending Marcus Zegarowski to the line for a one-and-one. Zegarowki missed the front end to give the Friars one last possession. Jackson received the ball at the top of the key and drove down the lane for a layup and the foul, he converted the free throw to knot the game at 59-59 and push the game to overtime.
Jackson handed Providence a 63-61 lead in the opening two minutes of overtime, but Creighton regained their advantage with 2:16 on the clock off a Ty-Shon Alexander triple. The Bluejays led the rest of the way and picked up the 76-70 win.
Ty-Shon Alexander paced the Bluejays with 17 points and three rebounds.
Providence will return home to conclude the regular season when they host the Butler Bulldogs on Saturday, March 9 at 12:00 p.m on FSN.
