PC Downs Sacred Heart - Watson Registers a Double-Double

PC Downs Sacred Heart - Watson Registers a Double-Double

The Providence College men's basketball team defeated Sacred Heart University, 92-64, on Thursday, at the Dunk. It was another big night for Nate Watson.

With the win, the Friars improved to 2-0 on the season.

Four Friars scored in double figures, led by sophomore Alyn Breed (Powder Springs, Ga.) with a game-high 15 points. Graduate student Watson finished with a double-double, with 14 points and 10 rebounds.  

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

"At this level, it's all about how hard you play, attention to detail, and not being afraid to make mistakes," Head Coach Ed Cooley said. "I thought we played that way in the second half."
 

GAME STORY

 

FIRST HALF:

Graduate Noah Horchler (Melbourne Beach, Fla.) knocked down a three-pointer from the right corner to put the Friars on the board first.
The Friars held a 17-14 lead at the 14:34 mark. 
With 13:21 left in the half, Jared Bynum (Largo, Md.) found Justin Minaya (Harrington Park, N.J.) on an alley-oop. The Friars had a slim lead, 19-16.
At the 9:32 mark, Sacred Heart completed a minor scoring run to take a 25-23 lead. Andrew Fonts (Portsmouth, R.I.) quickly responded with a corner three-pointer.

"I trust [Fonts] more than maybe any player I've ever coached," Cooley added.

In a back-and-forth first half, Fonts and Al Durham (Lilburn, Ga.) brought a spark. 
With just over one minute left, Brycen Goodine (New Bedford, Mass.) converted from beyond the arc to extend Providence's lead to seven. 
The Friars led 43-36 at the half. 
Bynum was the Friars' leading scorer heading into the half with eight points. 
Providence shot 14-26 (53.8%) from the field, 5-12 (41.7%) from three, and 10-14 (71.4%) from the free throw line. 
Sacred Heart shot 12-27 (44.4%) from the field, 8-18 (44.4%) from three, and 4-6 (66.7%) from the free throw line. 

SECOND HALF:

Breed scored the opening basket of the second half for the Friars. 
Three-pointers ahead of the 13:40 media timeout from Minaya and Durham gave the Friars their largest lead to that point in the game, 55-46.
Baskets by Watson and Durham on each end of the 12:56 media timeout extended the lead to double-digits. 
With 11 minutes remaining, Durham forced a steal and converted a dunk in transition. Providence led 63-50. 
Reeves stole the ball and finished on the fastbreak at the 9:44 mark. This was the first basket of a 13-2 Friars run. 
With 5:35 left to play, Breed completed the run with a corner three. The Friars now led by 22 points, 76-54.
Sacred Heart broke a scoring drought of just under five minutes with a three-point basket of their own. The score was 80-57.
The Friars extended the lead further to close the game. 
The Friars outscored the Pioneers, 49-28, over the final 20 minutes.

Nico Gallette led the way for Sacred Heart with a team-high 15 points.

Attendance – 9,716

NEXT GAME:

The Friars travel to Madison, Wis. to take on the University of Wisconsin-Madison in the Gavitt Tipoff Games on Monday, Nov. 15 at the Kohl Center.

The tip-off is at 9:00 p.m. and will be televised on FS1. 

The Friars hold a 3-1 all-time record against Wisconsin. The last time the two teams met, the Friars defeated Wisconsin, 59-57, on Dec. 23, 1996.