#12 Providence Rolls St. John's 83-65
Joe Calabro, GoLocalProv Sports Team
#12 Providence Rolls St. John's 83-65
"Coming in, one day preparation, I'm proud of our guys and how we stayed locked in to some detail things. I thought we came out a little slow and then we got stagnant around the 14 minute mark of the second half but I was proud of our guys being able to withstand a couple of their runs, I just didn't think we were as relentless as we wanted to be for 40 minutes," said PC head coach Ed Cooley After the game.
See the Five Takeaways Slideshow Below
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTSt. John's led 18-11 with 13 minutes left to play in the first half before Providence used a quick 10-0 run to go up 21-18 in the game. PC would extend the run, closing the half on a 31-13 run to go into the locker room with a 43-31 lead.
In the second half, St. John's would get as close as 6 points, 56-50, with 9:32 left to play as the Friars went nearly 7 minutes without a field goal. However,Kris Dun would scored PC's next eight points to help push the Friars lead back to 10 points, 64-54 with 7:36 to play in the game.
"Really, the team just looks at me as a leader and I just took on that position," said Kris Dunn after the game.
From the point it was 56-50, St. John's only scored 15 points the rest of the game as Providence would end up cruising to the victory and are now 2-0 in the Big East.
The Leaders
The Friars were led by Kris Dunn who poured in 26 points on 9 of 17 shooting from the field, including 4 of 7 from three-point land. Dunn also grabbed 9 rebounds and dished out 6 assists in the game.
Ben Bentil followed up with 20 points of his own on 6 of 12 shooting from the field, while also grabbing 9 rebounds.
Next Up
The Friars return to action on Tuesday, January 5 when they host Marquette at the Dunkin' Donuts Center. Tip off is set for 7 p.m.
See the Five Takeaways Slideshow Below
5 Takeaways From PC's 83-65 Win Over St. John's
Ben Bentil
This game was a test for Ben Bentil as St. John's had a couple of player, including Yankuba Sima, who were able to match up with his size. Things got a big chippy between the two in the second half resulting in double technicals for both players.
Bentil finished with 20 points on 6 of 12 shooting from the field and 8 of 9 from the free throw line.
Bentil also grabbed 9 rebounds.
Kyron Cartwright
The Friars got off to a slow start in the first half, trailing at one point 18-11 with just over 9 minutes to play.
It was Kyron Cartwright that came in off the bench and gave the Frairs a spark, pouring in 10 points on 4 of 5 shooting from the field, including 2 of 2 from three-point land.
Cartwright played 24 minutes, scored 11 points, grabbed 4 rebounds and dished out 2 assists.
Fast Break Points
The Friars found success when they pushed the ball up the floor and found easier baskets.
PC scored 15 points in the fast break compared to just 7.
The Friars had success against UMass, had success when they were able to do it against Butler and in this game.
Look for more fast paced basketball going forward.
Kris Dunn
Kris Dunn led the Friars with 26 points on 9 of 17 shooting from the field, including 4 of 7 from three-point land.
In the second half when St. John's cut the Friars lead to 6, 56-50, Dunn took over the game, scoring PC's next 8 points, sparking the Friars to a blowout victory.
"Every game Kris plays, this whole city is getting on his shoulders. That's why he came back to school, he wants to be the leader, he wants to be the guy," said PC head coach Ed Cooley.
Dunn also grabbed 9 rebounds, dished out 6 assists and had 3 steals in the game.
Back in Top 10
With this win and the road win against #9 Butler, combined with losses from Xavier, Butler and others, the Friars should be back inside the top 10 in the national polls when they are released on Monday.
Providence has won 8 straight games and have two wins over nationally ranked teams on the season, with more opportunities to come in the next couple of weeks.
