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... :-)

Friars Fall To Hoyas, 76-67

Drew Edwards (25) led the Friars in steals with three, but scored  just two points
as the Friars fell to arch-rival Georgetown, 76-67, on Wednesday.

By Bob Phillips

PROVIDENCE— Alpha Diallo became the 50th player in PC history to score 1,000 points, but it wasn’t enough as the Friars fell to Georgetown, 76-67, before 12,115 fans at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Wednesday night. Diallo, a 6-7 junior from New York, also had six boards against the Hoyas. He was the only member of the Friars to break double-digits on the night. Makai Ashton-Langford added nine points and two steals.
 
Josh Leblanc led the Hoyas with 17 points and 11 rebounds.

Providence started the game with David Duke and A.J. Reeves in the backcourt, alongside Jimmy Nichols Jr., Diallo and Nate Watson, marking the first time this season this combination started together. For Reeves, it was the first time the 6-6 freshman from Roxbury, MA, started since leading the Friars to a 100-95 victory over Boston College in OT on Dec. 4.

The Friars struggled to get the offense going to open the game, shooting just 2-8 from the field compared to Georgetown's 4-8. The Hoyas gained an 11-4 advantage with 15:59 to play in the first half. Providence found an answer with Head Coach Ed Cooley calling to Drew Edwards (Perry Hall, Md.) and Isaiah Jackson (Gainesville, Fla.) off the bench. The lineup strung together six straight points to cut the lead to one, 11-10, at the 14:01 mark.

Providence built a three-point advantage, 22-19, midway through the first half, due in part to their pressure on defense. Cooley started to mix in a one-three-one zone as well as a two-three zone once Georgetown's Patrick Ewing went to his bench. Diallo capped the run with an and-one dunk down the lane.

But the Hoyas responded with 11-0 run over the final 2:33 to give them a seven-point advantage, 34-27, heading into the locker room at intermission. Diallo led all scorers at halftime with 11 points, while Edwards picked up three steals on the defensive end. Georgetown dominated in the paint, however, outrebounding Friars, 29-17—ominous foreboding for the second half.

Early Second Half Comeback

Trailing 41-31, the Friars made a game of it when they ripped off six straight points to cut the deficit to four, 41-37. Jimmy Nichols Jr. knocked down a turnaround jumper followed by two layups from Makai Ashton-Langford. Ashton-Langford played well in the second half, scoring eight points while adding two assists.

The game of runs continued as the Hoyas put together a 6-0 run of their own. Diallo ended the run with a three-point basket from the top of the key to cut the deficit to 47-43 (12:56). The trey gave Diallo 1,000 points for his career. Georgetown built a 12-point cushion following Diallo's triple. Providence trailed, 57-45, with 9:00 remaining in the second frame.

Both sides traded baskets over the following 10 minutes to bring the game to 70-59 (2:52), in favor of the Hoyas. Diallo, Reeves and Jackson all connected on three-point baskets after having just one triple in the first 28 minutes of play. Providence brought the game within eight in the final minute but could not close the gap. Georgetown prevailed 76-67.


Up next, Providence will travel to New York to take on the St. John's Red Storm in Madison Square Garden on Saturday, Feb. 9. Tip-off is at 12 p.m., and the game will be broadcasted on CBS Sports Network.

THE SKINNY

 —with staff reports

Maya Walks Away

Maya Moore, who has starred at UConn, in the WNBA,
the Olympics, the FIBA World Championships, and
overseas, is stepping away the from game in order
to pursue another calling. (Photo courtesy Stephen
Slade, UConnHuskies.com)

By Bob Phillips

MINNEAPOLIS—Maya is no more—at least in terms of active basketball status. The former UConn legend and perennial WNBA All-Star announced she is walking away from the game she loves in order to fulfill “another purpose.”

“My focus in 2019 will not be on professional basketball, but will instead be on the people in my family, as well as on investing my time in some ministry dreams that have been stirring in my heart for many years,” she wrote this week in The Players’ Tribune.

Her ultimate mission, she says, is to “know Jesus and to make Him known.”

“I will certainly miss the day-to-day relationships with my teammates and basketball family this season,” she continued, “but my no for the 2019 pro season allows me to say yes to my family and faith family like I never have before.”

One person not surprised by Moore’s announcement is Geno Auriemma, her UConn mentor who recruited the rising star out of Jefferson City, MO, and introduced her to the world of big-time college hoops. The two chatted last summer, and he got the distinct impression that she was headed in this direction.

“It’s probably a big surprise to a lot of people because she’s still in the prime of her career, really," he told Kelli Stacey of The Hartford Courant. "She’s had so much success when you think about it. But people change as they get older. Things that were not as important become really important. She sees something out there that she feels like she has to devote more of her time to, and I’m all for it. If that’s what you’ve got to do, that’s what you’ve got to do.”

During her four-year run in Storrs, Moore’s success was to that point unparalleled. She scored more points than any player in program history, boasted the highest per-game scoring average, had the most field goals, and won two National Championships and two Player of the Year awards. Moore also was named First Team All-American in each of her four years playing with the Huskies.

Prior to entering the WNBA, Moore was one of Auriemma’s most successful players. Upon leaving, she boasted several program records, including most points, highest scoring average and most field goals made in a career. She led the Huskies to two national championships, was named national Player of the Year twice and was named a first-team All-American four times.

After being drafted No. 1 overall by the Lynx in the 2011 WNBA Draft, and her success continued in the pros. She has been named All-WNBA in each of her seven seasons—five times to the first team and twice to the second team. She was named Rookie of the Year in 2011, Moore led the league in scoring in 2014, in steals in 2018, and was a key component of four WNBA championship teams with the Lynx (2011, 2013, 2015, 2017). Basic math tells you that 2019 would be another title year for Minnesota, and still may be—just without Moore leading the way.

And while she will surely be missed in Minnesota, her coach, Cheryl Reeve, is fully supported of her star’s decision.

“As she recently shared, Maya has expressed a need to shift her attention more fully to family and ministry dreams in a way that she has been unable to as a professional basketball player," Reeve said in a statement released by the team. "We support her in this exploration and will continue to provide her the love and care she has always known from her Lynx family.”

Not everyone is convinced we have seen the last of Moore on the basketball court, however. Keep in mind, she hasn’t announced her retirement, only a desire to take some time away from basketball to pursue what she considers a greater calling, And at 31, she is literally in the prime of her career. Count Auriemma among those who thinks Moore may return to the court at some point.

“I’m not sure Maya’s done for good,” he said. “It might just be ‘I need a break,’ or ‘I need to explore something that’s right now inside of me.’ What she’s done for that franchise in Minnesota and how she’s put a stamp on winning in that league in such a short period of time, between the NCAA Championships and the WNBA Championships and the world championships and the Olympics… It’s a lot [and] I don’t know that we’ve heard the last of her. That would be my guess.”

—with staff reports

WTA To New Haven: ‘Hasta La Vista, Baby!’

Unable to land a title sponsor, the Connecticut Open is leaving New Haven
and will be played in China this year.

By Bob Phillips

NEW HAVEN—Professional tennis has left Connecticut. After 21 years of hosting some of the biggest names in women’s professional tennis, New Haven will no longer stage a WTA Premier tournament after the Connecticut Open sold its sanction on the WTA calendar. The reason? The tournament’s inability to land a name sponsor.

It wasn’t always that way, of course. Volvo sponsored the tournament in the ’90s and the first decade of the 2000s when it was part of the ATP (men’s) Tour. And Pilot Pen was the name sponsor until 2010. From 2005-2010, the Pilot Pen was the name title for both men’s and women’s tournaments in the Elm City. In 2011, the tournament dropped the men’s tournament, and Pilot Pen dropped its name sponsorship of the tournament which became known first as the New Haven Open at Yale and later the Connecticut Open, remaining a premiere event on the WTA Tour and part of the US Open Series.

However, during the five months since the conclusion of the 2018 tournament, The Tennis Foundation of Connecticut (TFC) Board conducted an extensive analysis of the financial model of the Connecticut Open and deemed it is not viable without a Title Sponsor. Following an exhaustive, albeit ultimately unsuccessful, search, the TFC Board has made the decision to sell the Premier WTA sanction to APG, a leading Sports and Entertainment company with a strong footprint in Asia. This year, the tournament will take place Sept. 9-15 2019, in Zhengzhou City, China. Ergo, the tournament will no longer be a final tune-up before the US Open, but rather commence play the day after the US Open concludes.

Furthermore, the likelihood that the Legends event featuring prominent retired men’s stars such as John McEnroe and James Blake, taking place in New Haven without a concurrent professional tournament being held, are minimal.

While the sale means that the tournament will not take place in New Haven in August 2019 and beyond, the TFC Board is maintains that it is committed to exploring whether another WTA or professional tennis event can be drawn to the city at a more sustainable level.

Attendance is certainly not the issue. Indeed, in 2018, the Connecticut Open was the third-best attended tournament on the WTA Tour. The tournament has also been a boon for the local economy, generating in excess of $10 million annually. In addition to lost revenues from ticket sales, local restaurants—one of New Haven’s biggest calling cards—are expected to take a major hit.

In 2018 alone, the Connecticut Open raised more than $20,000 for the Breast Center at Smilow Cancer Hospital at Yale New Haven (it has donated more than $150,000 since 2011), it collected $8,152, plus 25 pounds of food for ShopRite Partners in Caring Food Drive supporting the Connecticut Food Bank and Partnered with Yale University to host the annual Salovey-Swensen Extravaganza fundraiser which supports Yale’s community-based activities and this year set a record by raising more than $1.6 million ($19 million since 1998).

The Connecticut Open is best known for being a launching pad for the WTA stars of tomorrow. The 2018 Connecticut Open title was won by Aryna Sabalenka of Belarus, who collected her maiden WTA trophy in New Haven and this week entered the Top 10 for the first time. Caroline Wozniacki and Simona Halep also won their first Premier titles in New Haven. Past champions include Steffi Graf, Lindsay Davenport (2 titles), Jennifer Capriati, Venus Williams (4), Justine Henin, Wozniacki (4) and Petra Kvitova (3).

Kvitova, the Australian Open finalist and WTA world No.2, said: “The Connecticut Open was always one of my favorite tournaments and continued to get better every year. On behalf of the players, I would like to thank Anne Worcester, the City of New Haven, Yale and most important the fans who came to watch us, who supported us through the years and who made us feel welcome in their beautiful city.” 

“It has been an amazing 21-year run for women’s professional tennis in New Haven and we are truly grateful to all the fans, volunteers, players, media and sponsors involved,” Tournament Director Anne Worcester said. “While we remember our great champions, we are most proud of the benefits the tournament has brought to the local community. In particular we would like to thank the State of Connecticut, City of New Haven, Board of Alders, Yale University, Yale New Haven Health, WTA, USTA and USTA New England, all of whom have supported and contributed to the Connecticut Open for more than two decades. We have many memories to cherish both on and off the court.”

The WTA is looking at several opportunities for new International-level events in the United States in the week prior to the US Open, one such event could begin as early as this year, with a second in 2020.

—with staff reports