Friars Foil Johnnies at MSG

Nate Watson (0, shown here vs. Xavier) led the Friars with 18 points in PC's
70-56 thrashing of St. John's on Saturday.

By Bob Phillips

(aka Bob Murph)

NEW YORK—Providence head coach Ed Cooley likes to call Madison Square Garden the Friars’ “Home Away From Home,” and on Saturday, it was clear why. With nine players on the scoring line, led by a team-high 18 points from Nate Watson, the Friars stopped the Red Storm, 70-56, before 16.268 at The Garden on Saturday. Shamorie Ponds paced St. John's with 20 points and six rebounds.

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. New York native Alpha Diallo picked up his his seventh double-double of the season scoring 10 points and hauling down a career-high 15 boards.

Freshman David Duke came out of the box as if he had 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 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.

Providence held a 31-29 advantage at the half, eight separate Friars entered the scoring column. The Friars defense came into the matchup giving up just 71.9 ppg, second-best in the Big East, and was on full display in the first 20 minutes holding the Red Storm to just 29 points and 56 in the game. The Friars dominated the boards to control the pace, they outrebounded St. John's 23-10 entering the break and 43-23 in the game.

Both sides battled in the opening five minutes of the second half, trading baskets to bring the game to its first media timeout of the half (15:10) with St. John's holding a one-point advantage, 39-38.

A.J. Reeves knocked down his first trey of the afternoon to give Providence a 41-39 lead. Diallo corralled an offensive board and delivered a pass to the Roxbury, Mass., native at the top of the key for the three. The game was deadlocked, 43-43, with 11:48 on the clock.

Reeves added another triple just three minutes later to start a 7-0 run and give Providence their largest lead at the time, 53-45 (7:50). Reeves stripped Ponds on the following possession and leaked out a pass to Duke who got fouled in transition for two free throws. Watson capped off the run with a layup in the paint.

Watson pushed the Providence lead to eleven, 63-52 (3:31), after dunking one home in transition. The Friars scored their previous ten from the charity stipe. The cushion stayed consistent throughout the rest of the game to give Providence their 70-56 win.

The Friars success came on the boards by outrebounding the Red Storm by 20. Providence pulled down 16 offensive rebounds and scored 19 second chance points.

With the win, the Friars improve to improve to 4-7 in Big East play and 14-10 overall. Up next, Providence will travel to Philadelphia where they will take on the defending national champion Villanova Wildcats on Wednesday, Feb. 13. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. and will be broadcasted on FS1.

—With Staff Reports

Bob Murph is the former sports editor at The Cowl. Bob Phillips is, well... you know... :-)