PC Blows 21 Point Lead and Falls to Cooley and Georgetown

PC Blows 21 Point Lead and Falls to Cooley and Georgetown

The Providence College men’s basketball team lost to the Georgetown Hoyas after leading by 21 points.

Hoyas won 81-78.

The game in Providence always has extra meaning as Hoyas coach Ed Cooley quit the Friars to take the Georgetown job three years ago.

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

The Friars are now 9–11 on the season and 2-7 in the Big East. PC Jaylin Sellers.

Georgetown is now 10-10 and 2-8 in the conference.

This was the most dramatic and most embarrassing loss, maybe in Providence College history.

The Friars led 43-25 at halftime.

 

Second Half Collapse

In the second half, PC stretched its lead to 21, and then things changed.

Georgetown went on a 15-3 run to the 5:41 mark.

At 4:17, Georgetown’s KJ Lewis continued the battle back and hit a 3-pointer to cut the PC lead to 71-68. Lewis finished with 26.

Boos came raining down on the Friars and coach Kim English.

Then, Georgetown took the lead 72-71— first lead since 6-5

Georgetown did not let up — it was the Hoyas' highest scoring half of the year for

Vaaks tied to keep PC in the game and responded with an old school 3 — a dunk and a free throw.

But the Hoyas continued their unrelenting scoring. They hit their last five shots of the game.

 

FIRST HALF: 

•  The Friars responded to Georgetown, making its first shot of the game with a layup by Stefan Vaaks to even the game at two (18:35).  

•  Jamier Jones found Oswin Erhunmwunse inside for an and-one-layup to make it 5-4, Providence (17:37).  

• Georgetown sagged off, allowing Jones to connect on a three-pointer to give the Friars the two-point lead. Jones followed that with another three-pointer on the following possession to extend the lead to five, 11-6 (16:14).  

• Erhunmwunse converted on a contested layup in the paint which made it 13-8, Providence heading into the first media timeout (15:06).  

• Jones ended a four-minute scoring drought for the Friars, knocking down a pair of free throws to make it 15-10, Providence (11:32). 

• Ryan Mela (Natick, Mass.) was able to get downhill and convert on a layup after successfully completing a spin move in the lane (11:01). 

• For over four minutes the Friars did not allow a field goal from Georgetown.  

• Corey Floyd Jr. got on the board after making a driving layup. 19-13, Providence (9:38).  

• Erhunmwunse dropped stepped and was able to make a baby hook. On the following possession, Floyd Jr. got downhill again and was able to convert on a contested layup, capping a 6-0 Providence run and giving the Friars their first double-digit lead of the game (8:17). 

• Jaylin Sellers recorded his first basket of the game, and on the next possession, Mela knocked down a three-pointer that forced a Georgetown timeout. Providence made their last five attempts to spark a 15-5 scoring run going into the timeout. (7:03).  

• Off a missed layup, Jones took off from the baseline for a put-back dunk to make it 32-17 (5:53). 

• A Mela layup followed by two Vaaks free throws gave Providence a 15-point lead (4:34). 

• Vaaks drove through the lane and was able to find the cutting Sellers on the baseline for an easy layup, making it 50-25, Providence heading into the media timeout (2:01).  

• Mela connected on his second three-pointer of the game, giving him ten points on the night. The make gave Providence its largest lead of the game, 43-25 (0:54). 

• Providence led at the half, 43-25. 

• Providence shot 15-30 (50%) from the field, 4-9 (44.4%) from three, and 9-9 (100%) from the free-throw line.   

• Georgetown shot 11-31 (35.5%) from the field, 1-12 (8.3%) from three, and 2-2 (100%) from the free-throw line.    

• Jones and Mela both had 10 for the Friars, each recording two three-pointers. 

• The Friars controlled the glass in the first half, 19-15  

• Providence controlled the rebounding battle in the first half, 18-11 

• Malik Mack led Georgetown with 8 points.  

 

SECOND HALF: 

• Georgetown scored on their first possession of the half; the following Providence possession Jones drove straight to the rim for an emphatic jam. The next time down the floor Vaaks was fouled shooting a three, making all three foul shots to give the Friars their largest lead at 48-27 (8:32).  

• The Friars worked the ball around the perimeter, finding an open Sellers for three. The lead was now 51-34 (16:52).  

• Sellers knocked down his second triple of the half on a step back. After the Friars got a stop on defense, Sellers went coast-to-coast for a breakaway dunk to make it 59-39 (13:02).  

• Sellers was then able to find Floyd Jr. on a cut to the basket for an open layup, putting Providence on top 61-44 (11:45).  

• After a brief Georgetown run, Vaaks forced the Hoya defense to collapse and found Floyd Jr. open in the corner for three. Providence owned a 64-48 lead (10:52).  

• Georgetown used a 7-0 run to force a Providence timeout with the Friars leading by nine (8:26).  

• Providence ended a 12-0 run from Georgetown off a Duncan Powell (Dallas, Texas) three to make it 67-60 (6:33).  

• Out of a timeout, Jones sliced his way to the rim to put Providence up 69-63 (5:12).  

• Georgetown was able to fight back and grab a 72-71 lead off a made-three (2:55).  

• The next PC possession the Friars went back in front with two free throws from Sellers (2:38).  

• Out of a timeout, the Friars got a second chance bucket from Oswin to cut the Hoya lead to one (1:39).  

• Georgetown jumped in front 81-75 with a made three late in the shot clock (0:27).  

• The Hoyas held on for an 81-78 comeback victory.  

 

DATA: 

• Providence shot 26-57 (45.6%) from the field, 8-21 (38.1%) from three, and 18-21 (85.7%) from the free-throw line.   

• Georgetown shot 32-62 (51.6%) from the field, 9-25 (36.0%) from three, and 8-11 (72.7%) from the free-throw line.     

• Four players finish in double figures for the Friars: Sellers (18), Vaaks (14), Jones (14) and Mela (11) 

• Erhunmwunse recorded double-digit rebounds for the sixth time this season.  

• Georgetown outscored Providence 56-35 in the second half.  

•The Friars outrebounded Georgetown 33-29.  

• KJ Lewis led all scorers with 26 points for Georgetown.  

 

NEXT: 

The Friars will return to action when they travel to Storrs, Conn. to take on UConn  Tuesday, Jan. 27 at 7:30 p.m. The game will be on TNT/TruTV.