Friars hit by a Truck in OT, 87-84

Friars hit by a Truck in OT, 87-84

This one hurt.

Leading West Virginia by as many as 10 points in the second half, and still holding onto a seven point lead with 5:29 to play, the Friars were then run over by a Truck.

Senior guard Darryl “Truck” Bryant poured in 24 of his game high 32 points in the second half and overtime, including a game-winning three-pointer with :03.3 seconds remaining in the extra period, and the Mountaineers escaped from the Dunkin Donuts Center on Sunday afternoon with an 87-84 win over Providence.

GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST

“This game was a clear example of a team that has seniors who have won and a team learning how to win,” head coach Ed Cooley said in the aftermath. “They have seniors who have been on the road and battled, and our crowd was phenomenal today, they tried to will us to a win. But they know how to win, and we’re learning how to win.”

With as much as a 15 point lead with a smooth, effective offensive first half, the Friars had to settle for only a six point lead at the break, thanks in part to Bryant’s play, and also that from 6-9 Turkish center Deniz Kilicli. Kilicli managed 11 of his career-high 22 points in the half, keeping his team within shouting distance of a PC offense that hit 16 of its’ first 18 shots overall. A 19-7 WVU run that began at the 7:25 mark continued to the final :30 seconds of the half, before Bryce Cotton nailed a three to give the Friars their six point cushion.

In the second half, Truck put his team on his 6-2 frame and carried them to the finish line. With the Friars mixing and matching defenses and individual players getting the chance to slow him down, no one could really do the job. Hitting just two of his eight first half shots, Bryant took 14 shots in the second half and made nine, including a couple of big three’s that put his Mountaineers squarely into the game…trailing by two at 50-48 with 14:15 to play.

Yet Providence was able to continue keeping the pressure on West Virginia by scoring themselves. Gerard Coleman led the way with a career high 30 point performance, scoring 14 of his points in the 2nd period on a mix of drives and short put-backs that gave WVU fits. Yet with a seven point lead with a little over five minutes left, PC just couldn’t stop the runaway Truck.

“We just let him get too comfortable,” Cooley said of Bryant. “He just made plays. I’m proud of our kids, they’re hanging in there. We just came up short.”

A 9-2 WVU run tied the score at 72 with 1:40 to play, but the Friars missed some key free throws during the stretch run that could have given them the win in regulation. Instead, Kevin Jones, Kilicli and Bryant each hit big baskets to put the game into overtime tied at 76, after a Vincent Council miss at the buzzer could have won it.

In the extra period, the Mountaineers took the early lead with Jones and Kilicli hitting inside. Coleman sliced through the lane for two big baskets, and LaDontae Henton hit a three to give the Friars a lead. But again, a missed free throw by Coleman with :10 seconds to play that could have given them a lead, led to the game winning shot by Bryant with :03.3 left. Council got a good look at a three to tie at the buzzer, but couldn’t connect…leaving the Friars wondering what just hit them.

It was a Truck, originally from the Bronx…that is now on its way back to Morgantown with the win.

Friar Notes

Coleman’s career scoring performance included a 12-16 performance from the free throw line, but the misses came at key moments in the game. Two misses by Coleman, one by Council (16 points, nine assists) and another by Bilal Dixon (6 points, 10 rebounds) all came in the final 5:30 of regulation, and could have been difference makers…the loss is the first this season for Providence when shooting better than 50% from the floor (50.9%), and the first this season when leading with 5:00 minutes to play (now 13-1)…PC battled the #2 rebound margin team in the Big East to a dead heat 32-32 off of the backboards, but WVU pulled down 17 offensive rebounds for 23 second chance points, outscoring the Friars 23-11 in that category…the Big East’s leading scorer and rebounder, senior Kevin Jones, managed 20 points (13 in the 2nd half and OT) but only five rebounds…Henton finished with 17 points (5-6 on three’s) and six boards, while Cotton scored 15. The Friar bench was held scoreless (Kadeem Batts, Brice Kofane, Ron Giplaye)…the win was just WVU’s second on the road this season, the only other coming in league play at Rutgers by 21. It was also their 5th overtime game of the year (now 4-1), while it was PC’s first OT game this season…not sure what the officials are looking at, but Kilicli (as was the case with Rutgers big man Gilvydas Biruta on Wednesday) was the beneficiary of some non-traveling calls in the paint several times during the contest. He clearly picks up his pivot foot and slides into the post once his position is established, without dribbling. That, in most cases, is a violation…the Friars (now 13-10, 2-9 Big East) take their act back out on the road Tuesday, for a game at Villanova (7 pm tip-off on 103.7 WEEI-FM, www.friars.com). West Virginia improves to 16-8 overall, 6-5 in league play, and snaps a three-game losing streak in the process…