PC Loses, Friars Foul Marquette Star on a 3-Pointer to Send Game to OT

PC Loses, Friars Foul Marquette Star on a 3-Pointer to Send Game to OT

The Providence College men’s basketball team fought back from a ten-point halftime deficit to lead by 4 points with under a minute at Marquette Monday night, only to lose in overtime.

Marquette beat the Friars 105-104. 

The Friars fall to 9-10, 2-6 in the Big East.

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Marquette improves to 7-13, 2-7.

The Golden Eagles closed out the first half with two 3-pointers to take a ten-point lead — 54 to 44.

The Golden Eagles shot 61% for the first half.

In the second half, the Friars chipped away and tied the game at 8:39 left in the second half.

The Friars rode the shooting of Stefan Vaaks, who ended with 26 points, and Jaylin Sellers, who led the Friars with 27 points.

 

Difference Maker

Freshman Nigel James Jr. put on a show for Marquette, scoring 38 points, adding 8 assists, and had just 1 assist.

The Friars led by 4 with less than a minute left in the game.

James hits a 3-pointer with 21 seconds to cut the Friars' lead to one.

The Friars were leading by 3 in the final seconds, but Sellers fouled James on a 3-pointer with 2.3. He hit all three to send the game to overtime.

 

Overtime Back and Forth

Then PC had the ball with the score tied at 104-104, and Corey Floyd, Jr. turned over the ball and then fouled Ben Gold, who hit one of two of the free throws.

PC got the ball with 3.5 seconds left, giving Vaaks a long 3-pointer at the buzzer, but he was off the mark.

 

FIRST HALF:
• Oswin Erhunmwunse got on the board first for the Friars with a put-back, and-one dunk that was followed by a Vaaks three-pointer on the following possession that tied the game at five (18:05).  
• After two Floyd free throws, Sellers converted on a driving effort to make it 13-10, Marquette (16:12).  
• Floyd Jr. was able to get into the paint and connect on a floater to keep the Friars within striking distance heading into the first media timeout, 18-12 (13:37).  
• Out of the timeout, Floyd Jr. continued his aggressive play and was able to get downhill to convert another floater in the paint. Marquette led 18-12 (13:07). 
• On the following possession, Duncan Powell hit the Friars' second three-pointer of the night, 21-17 (12:37).  
• Out of the media timeout, Powell knocked down his second three-pointer of the night to pull the Friars within six. Vaaks was able to find Floyd Jr. for another Providence three-pointer, making the score 28-23, Marquette (10:19).  
• Powell hit his third three-pointer of the contest on 3-4 shooting to make it 31-26, Marquette (9:21).  
• Sellers got into the paint again and was able to convert an and-one layup before Erhunmwunse was able to tip in a layup off of a Providence miss on the following possession (8:22).  
• Jamier Jones got to the paint and was able to make his first basket of the game to pull the Friars within four, 37-33, heading into the under-eight media timeout (7:42).  
• Sellers grabbed an offensive rebound and was able to lay it in after a quick 4-0 Marquette run, making it 41-35, Marquette (5:32). 
• Peteris Pinnis (Salaspils, Latvia) checked into the game and threw down a hard dunk off of a feed from Sellers. On the following possession, Sellers got to the paint on a spin move and was able to lay it in to make it 46-39, Marquette going into the media timeout (3:11).  
• Nilavan Daniels was fouled on a three-point attempt and converted all three free throws to make it a four-point ball game, 46-42. 
• Vaaks knocked down two free throws after Marquette fouled him after reaching the team limit of seven fouls (1:16).  
• Marquette ended the half on a 6-0 run.  
• Marquette led at the half, 54-44. 
• Providence shot 15-30 (50%) from the field, 5-12 (41.7%) from three, and 9-9 (100%) from the free-throw line.   
• Marquette shot 20-33 (60.6%) from the field, 5-13 (38.5%) from three, and 9-12 (75%) from the free-throw line.    
• Floyd Jr., Sellers and Powell all had nine points for Providence.  
• Providence controlled the rebounding battle in the first half, 18-11 
•Nigel James Jr. led Marquette with 12 points.  


SECOND HALF:
• Vaaks opened the half with a corner three-pointer. Jones followed with a layup on the ensuing possession. Marquette led 54-49 (19:15).  
• As the teams traded buckets, Vaaks knocked down his third three of the night and cut the Marquette lead to three (16:03).  
• The Friars continued to cut into Marquette's lead as Vaaks sank another three and Mela finished through contact at the rim to tie the game at 68 (12:16).  
• Marquette responded with back-to-back emphatic dunks and extended their lead out to 75-70 (9:22). 
• Vaaks knocked down his fifth three of the game and cut the Marquette lead to two. Erhunmwunse grabbed his 10th rebound of the night, which led to a pair of made free throws from Sellers on the offensive end and tied the game at 75 (8:41).  
• Sellers made a layup and gave the Friars their first lead since the 18:05 mark in the first half at 77-75 (7:25).  
• As the teams traded buckets, Vaaks sank his sixth three-pointer of the game and gave the Friars there biggest lead of the game at 84-79 (4:24).  
• Marquette came storming back with a 7-0 run to regain a two point lead. Jones slammed an emphatic dunk to tie the game at 86 (2:42). 
• Jones and Sellers each sank a pair of free throws that gave Providence a 92-88 lead. Marquette responded with a three-pointer to cut the Friar lead to one with 21 seconds remaining.  
• Marquette drew a foul on a three-point attempt and converted all three free throws to tie the game at 94 with two seconds left in regulation.  
• Jones missed a half-court heave as time expired, and the teams remained tied at 94.  

OVERTIME: 
• Vaaks opened the extra period with a floater in the paint and gave the Friars a two-point lead. Marquette sank a three on the other end and regained a 97-96 lead (3:22).  
• As the teams went back and forth, Erhunmwunse slammed an empathic dunk on a lob from Vaaks and gave the Friars a 102-101 lead (1:05).  
• Marquette responded to, but Vaaks found Erhunmwunse for another jam to even the score at 104.  
• Floyd looked to get in the paint and turned the ball over. Marquette sank a free throw with four seconds remaining to take a one-point lead.  
• Vaaks missed a last-second three-point attempt as time expired, and Marquette held onto a 105-104 lead.  

DATA:
• Providence shot 32-64 (50.0%) from the field, 11-27 (41.7%) from three, and 29-33 (87.4%) from the free-throw line.   
• Marquette shot 39-73 (53.4%) from the field, 8-23 (34.8%) from three, and 19-30 (63.3%) from the free-throw line.     
• Four players finish in double figures for the Friars: Sellers (27), Vaaks (26), Jones (17) and Powell (11) 
• Vaaks' 26 points marked a career-high.  
• Sellers' 27 points marks his highest total at Providence College.  
• Vaaks' 26-point performance marks the first time that a BIG EAST freshman has recorded 20 or more points in three consecutive conference games since Scottie Reynolds accomplished the feat in the 2006-07 season (2/19/07 to 3/3/07).   
• Erhunmwunse grabbed a career-high 15 rebounds and added three blocks.  
•The Friars outrebounded Marquette, 42-30.  
• Nigel James Jr. led all scorers with 38 points for Marquette.  
• Marquette forced 17 turnovers in the game and scored 27 points off turnovers.  

NEXT:
The Friars will return to action when they host Georgetown University on Saturday afternoon. Tip-off is scheduled for 12:30 p.m. and will be televised on TNT and truTV.