PC Beats Creighton, Gets First Big East Win at Home

PC Beats Creighton, Gets First Big East Win at Home

The Providence College men’s basketball team got a much-needed win against visiting Creighton on Friday night.

 

PC won 93-88.

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The Friars nearly gave the game away in the final seconds.  PC was one of its last eight shots and made a series of ridiculous fouls.

It was the Friars' first win of the season in the Big East at home.

With the win, the Friars are 9-9 and 2-5 in the Big East.

Creighton falls to 11-8 and 5-3.

In the first half, Creighton led by as many as 10. But the Friars chipped away before the half. The Blue Jays led 46-45

In the second half, the Friars went on an 8-0 led to take the lead at the under 12-minute mark.

At the same time, Creighton was just 1 of its last 10.

PC extended the lead to 67-57 at 11 minute mark

And the Friar's lead ballooned to 14.

Then, Creighton went on a 7-0 run.

Jaylen Sellers, coming off a career high against Villanova with 24, scored only 4 points and fouled out

It was the freshman that made the difference. Stefan Vaaks led the Friars with 24 points, and Jamier Jones scored 18 and added 11 rebounds.

 

FIRST HALF: 

• On the first possession of the game, Vaaks found Duncan Powell off a pick-and-pop action to give the Friars the early lead, 3-0 (19:50).  

• After Creighton got on the board with a layup and a pair of free throws, Vaaks found Powell again for another Providence three to make it 6-4, Providence (18:08).  

• Providence recorded a steal and got out in transition, resulting in a Ryan Mela layup off a feed from Jaylin Sellers (Columbus, Ga.) (17:23). 

• Jones grabbed a steal and threw down an emphatic dunk, a fast-break dunk that gave Providence the 10-9 lead (15:50). 

• After strong ball movement, Corey Floyd Jr. found Mela for a three-pointer to make it 16-14, Creighton (13:37).  

• Floyd Jr. stole a Creighton pass that led to a fastbreak and-one dunk to end an 8-0 Creighton ran and pulled the Friars within single digits, 24-17 (11:17). 

• Powell connected on his third three-pointer of the night to make it 26-21, Creighton (10:03).  

• Mela got in the post and was able to pivot and free himself for a short turnaround jumper to make it 27-23, Creighton (9:16).  

• Vaaks connected on his first three-pointer of the night after a Creighton basket to make it 30-26, Creighton (8:43).  

• Out of the timeout, Vaaks drove through the lane and was able to convert on a layup (8:01).  

• Jones was able to tip in a lob to make it 38-30, Creighton (6:16). 

• Jones converted a layup off a tremendous feed from Vaaks to keep the Friars within striking distance and on the following possession, after a Nilivan Daniels steal, Vaaks went to the post and connected on a layup after a spin move. Making it 40-34, Creighton (5:17).  

• Providence forced a stop that led to a Jones dunk which forced a Creighton timeout and pulled the Friars within four (4:41).  

• Back-to-back buckets by Vaaks and Jones put the Friars within two, 42-40 with under three minutes remaining in the half (2:10). 

• A strong driving effort from Jones pulled Providence within one with under one minute remaining in the half, bringing a spark to the crowd at the AMP (0:43).  

• Creighton led at the half 46-34. 

• Providence shot 17-35 (48.6%) from the field, 5-15 (33.3%) from three, and 6-12 (50%) from the free-throw line.   

• Creighton shot 14-31 (45.2%) from the field, 5-12 (41.7%) from three, and 13-14 (92.9%) from the free-throw line.    

• Jones led the Friars with 13 points on 6-8 shooting 

• Vaaks and Powell both chipped in with nine points. 

• Jasen Green led the Bluejays with 13 points, going 7-8 from the free-throw line.  

 

SECOND HALF: 

• After forcing a tie-up to begin the half, the Friars got on the board first with a Powell free-throw to tie the game at 46 (19:38).  

•Providence was able to take the lead the following possession on Mela euro-step layup (19:11).  

•Providence was able to go back in front 53-52 when Floyd Jr. connected from inside the lane (16:22).  

• Vaaks worked off a screen setting up a lob and slam for Erhunmwunse, to put Providence in front 57-54 (14:29).  

• After a Creighton three, a Floyd Jr. block led to a Vaaks run-out layup (14:04).  

• Sellers was able to get to the line back-to-back possessions, making four foul shots to give Providence their largest lead at 63-57 (13:16).  

•  Vaaks came up with a steal at half-court and went to the rim himself, forcing a Bluejay timeout. Providence held a 65-57 lead. (11:44).  

• Out of the timeout, the Friars came up with a stop, resulting in a Jones reverse layup on the other end. Providence went on a commanding 10-0 run, leading 67-57 into the under-twelve timeout (11:17).  

• First possession out of the timeout, Providence produced another stop and found a cutting Erhunmwunse for a two-hand flush (10:50). 

• Daniels collected an offensive rebound and found an open Vaaks for a three that put the Friars ahead 74-64 (8:25).  

• After a missed layup Erhunmwunse was on the spot to clean it up, putting the Friars back in front by 10 (6:50).  

• Not long after, Erhunmwunse got another offensive rebound and finished the putback. The rebound gave Erhunmwunse a double-double (5:52).  

• The Providence lead sat at 81-74 into the under-four timeout (3:37). 

•The Friars were able to break the Creighton press when Jones went straight downhill for the bucket and the foul. Jones missed the free throw, but Erhunmwunse came up with another big rebound, resulting in Vaaks making a pair of free throws (0:48).  

•Vaaks and Floyd Jr. converted at the line down the stretch to ice the game. 

• Providence was able to hold on for a 93-88 victory.  

 

DATA: 

• Providence shot 31-69 (44.9%) from the field, 6-25 (24.0%) from three, and 25-35 (71.4%) from the free-throw line.   

• Creighton shot 27-66 (40.9%) from the field, 10-30 (33.3%) from three, and 24-29 (82.8%) from the free-throw line.     

• Friday night marked the 11th time this season that Providence had five players finish in double figures. Vaaks (24), Jones (18), Mela (14), Erhunmwunse (14), Powell (10). 

• Vaaks' 24 points marked a career-high.  

• Jones (18 points and 11 rebounds) and Oswin Erhunmwunse (14 points and 13 rebounds) each recorded double-doubles. It marks the first time that two Providence players have recorded double-doubles in the same game since March 9, 2024, against No. 2/2 Connecticut, when Devin Carter and Josh Oduro accomplished the feat.  

• Erhunmwunse (13) and Jones (11) each recorded career-highs in rebounds.  

• Vaaks' 24-point performance marks the first time that a freshman has recorded 20 or more points in two consecutive games since Sharaud Curry in the 2005-06 season.  

• Vaaks is also the first Bi East freshman with three 20-point games since 2021. 

• Jones grabbed a career-high three steals.  

• The Friars outrebounded Creighton, 30-15, in the second half, and 46-37 in the game.  

• Jasen Green led Creighton with 26 points. 

• Providence held the advantage in points in the paint 50-32. 

• Providence holds a 22-17 mark all-time versus Creighton.  

 

NEXT: 

The Friars will return to action when they travel to Milwaukee to take on Marquette University Monday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. and will be televised on FS1.