PC Basketball Get High-Quality Win Over Texas Tech

PC Basketball Get High-Quality Win Over Texas Tech

The Providence College men's basketball defeated Texas Tech University, 72-68, on Wednesday at the Dunk. With the win, the Friars improve to 7-1 on the season.

It was Texas Tech's first loss of the year -- they are now 6-1.

Graduate student Al Durham posted a game-high 23 points. Senior A.J. Reeves added 14 points and a game-high eight rebounds. Senior Ed Croswell chipped in with 11 points and six rebounds as he shot 5-5 from the field. 

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"Croswell, to me, was the player of the game," head coach Ed Cooley said. "He gave us all the energy in the first half."

"To our crowd, our student body, the energy that was in the building tonight, I can't emphasize enough how grateful and appreciative we are as a basketball program," Cooley said. "I thought their presence was felt when the ball went up."

 

GAME STORY

FIRST HALF:

- Noah Horchler put the Friars on the board first from the free-throw line.
- Texas Tech jumped out to an early 13-5 lead. The Friars missed nine of their first 10 attempts from the field to open the game. 
- Croswell made an immediate impact off the bench with second-chance baskets on back-to-back possessions. 
- At the 12:06 mark, Justin Minaya (Harrington Park, N.J.) stole the ball and finished the fastbreak dunk. The Friars now trailed by only two, 15-13. 
- The Red Raiders responded with a 12-0 scoring run. The score was 27-13, Texas Tech's largest lead of the game, heading into the 7:54 media timeout.
- Croswell broke the scoring drought in the paint at the 7:05 mark. Shortly after, Minaya knocked down the first three-pointer of the game for the Friars. The deficit was back to single digits for the Friars, 27-18.
- Reeves completed a four-point play with 0:57 remaining in the half.
- The Friars ended the half on a 15-3 scoring run.
- Texas Tech held a slim lead at halftime, 30-28. 
- Providence shot 8-30 (26.7%) from the field, 2-13 (15.4%) from three, and 10-15 (66.7%) from the free-throw line. 
- Texas Tech shot 10-29 (34.5%) from the field, 3-11 (27.3%) from three, and 7-9 (77.8%) from the free-throw line. 

 

SECOND HALF:

- At the start of the half, Durham connected from three-point territory to give the Friars the lead.
- The Friars took a 7-0 scoring run into the first media timeout of the half. The Red Raiders had not scored in nearly four minutes. PC led 38-33.
- WIth 12:03 left to play, Alyn Breed made a three-point basket. The Friars led by eight, 47-39.
- At the 8:04 mark, Texas Tech's Kevin Obanor buried a three-pointer from the right corner. On the ensuing possession, Mylik Wilson forced a turnover and finished on the fastbreak for the Red Raiders. Texas Tech regained the lead, 53-51. 
- With 5:32 remaining, Reeves knocked down a three-pointer off an assist from Minaya. The game was knotted at 56.
- Reeves made yet another basket from the three-point line at the 4:22 mark. The Friars had the lead once again, 61-58. 
- With two minutes remaining, the game was all tied up at 65. Durham broke the tie with a mid-range jumper at the 1:48 mark.
- Texas Tech's Terrence Shannon, Jr. knocked down a three-pointer with 1:00 left to play. The Friars led by one point, 69-68.
- Reeves extended the lead to 70-68 from the free-throw line. The Friars drew an offensive foul on the other end. 
- Breed sealed the game from the free-throw line for the Friars in the final seconds. 

HIGHLIGHTS:

- Providence finished 19-51 (37.3%) from the field, 6-20 (30.0%) from three, and 28-38 (73.7%) from the free-throw line. 
- Texas Tech finished 22-58 (37.9%) from the field, 7-23 (30.4%) from three, and 17-24 (70.8%) from the free-throw line. 
- The Friars shot above 50% from three-point land in the second half, an improvement from less than 20% in the first half. 
- The Red Raiders out-rebounded the Friars, 37-35. Each team had 17 offensive rebounds in the game. 
- Three players finished in double-figures for the Friars, in Croswell, Durham, and Reeves.
- Croswell and Durham both registered Providence career highs in scoring, 11 and 23 points, respectively. 
- Terrence Shannon, Jr. led the way for the Red Raiders with a team-high 17 points.
- The Friars improved to 3-0 on the season versus the Big 10 and Big 12 combined.
- The Friars improved to 2-0 all-time in the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle.
- With the win, the Friars now hold a 19-28 mark all-time versus teams from the Big 12.
Attendance – 10,022

NEXT GAME:

The Friars will take on the University of Rhode Island on Saturday, Dec. 4 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. Tip-off is set for 2:00 p.m. on CBS Sports Network. 
The Friars hold a 74-56 all-time record and a 39-23 home record against URI. In their last meeting, the Friars lost to the Rams, 75-61, on December 6, 2019 in Kingston, R.I.