PC Beats Lehigh 78-64, Now 5-1

PC Beats Lehigh 78-64, Now 5-1

It should have been a walk in the proverbial park, but the Providence College men's basketball had to battle all night to defeat Lehigh University (1-5).

The Friars won 78-64, in the non-conference match-up in Providence on Friday.

Junior Bryce Hopkins scored 25 points, grabbed 19 rebounds, and added three assists.

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It was Hopkins' 13th career double-double. Josh Oduro finished with a season-high 29 points, seven rebounds, and one assist. The Friars improved to 5-1 overall record on the season. 

"The crowd was great tonight; I thought the fans were awesome," Head Coach Kim English said. "It was a win for us against a team that we have a ton of respect for that will be a tough out this season."

 

FIRST HALF:   

• Oduro sunk a hook-shot jumper to open the scoring for the match. In the following play, Jalin Sinclair countered with a jump shot in the paint to put the Mountain Hawks on the board, 2-2.

• The game sat at 8-8 entering the first media timeout (15:36 mark). 

• At the 12-minute media timeout, the Friars held a tight, one-point advantage over the Mountain Hawks, 14-13.

•The two teams played an even game during the first part of the first half. Over the first 7:59 minutes, there were two lead changes, and four game-ties.  

• With 11:18 left to play, the Friars went on a 6-0 scoring run to extend their lead to five, the largest yet of the game. Friars led, 20-13, at the 9:18 mark.

• Oduro entered double-digit scoring following a textbook layup (10:45 mark). Oduro led the Friar offense with 10 points.

• With 8:42 on the clock, Bryce Hopkins scored an empathetic dunk. Oduro followed with a layup to force a Lehigh timeout. Friars led, 24-15.

• Hopkins made a layup in traffic to give Providence a nine-point advantage entering the final media timeout. Friars led, 38-27.

• Two Providence players entered double-digit scoring in the first half. Oduro closed out the first half with 14 points, Hopkins with 12. Providence led, 41-29, at halftime.

•Providence shot 16-29 (55.2 %) from the field, 2-6 (33.3 %) from three and 4-7 (57.1 %) from the free throw line.    

•Lehigh shot 12-28 (42.9%) from the field, 3-8 (37.5%) from three and 0-0 (0%) from the free throw line.  Keith Higgins, Jr., led Lehigh with 14 points in the first half.  

 

SECOND HALF:   

• Hopkins flushed a layup to start the scoring for the second half.

• Hopkins continued his scoring streak by scoring all eight points for Providence in the first 2:09 minutes of the second half. At the first media timeout (15:59 mark), Friars led, 50-39.

• With 14:54 on the clock, Hopkins secured his 10th rebound of the night to clinch a double-double game, his third of the season and 13th of his career. Hopkins led the Friar offense with 21 points.

• Lehigh went on a 4-0 scoring run before the second media timeout. At the 10:28 minute mark, Providence led, 58-48.  

• With about five left to play, Lehigh scored seven uncontested shots over a 1:12 minute span. At the 3:34 mark, Oduro flushed two free-throws to snap the 2:26 scoring drought for the Friars.  

• With 9:54 left to play, Rich Barron drained a three-pointer to give the Friars a 15-point lead. Oduro followed with a dunk to force a Lehigh timeout. Friars led, 65-48.

• Hopkins and Bryce powered the Friar offense with 25 points and 29 points, respectively.

 

HIGHLIGHTS:   

• Providence finished 32-62 (51.6%) from the field, 5-15 (33.3%) from three and 9-13 (69.3%) from the free throw line.    

• Lehigh finished 27-60 (45.0%) from the field, 6-17 (35.3%) from three and 4-6 (66.7%) from the free throw line.     

• Three players finished in double figures for the Friars: Josh Oduro (29), Bryce Hopkins (25), and Devin Carter (10).  

• With 25 points and 14 rebounds, Bryce Hopkins registered his third double-double of the season, and 13th of his career.  

• Josh Oduro scored a season-high 29 points.  

• Lehigh's Keith Higgins, Jr., led the Mountain Hawk offense with 16 points. 

• This marked the first meeting ever between the two teams and the first time since 2018 that the Friars have faced a Patriot League rival. The Friars have posted a 57-34 mark all-time versus teams from the Patriot League.

 

 NEXT:   

• The Friars will play Wagner College in a non-conference match on Tuesday, Nov.28, at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. on FS1.