On to Villanova: PC Rolls St. John's 74-57 at MSG
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On to Villanova: PC Rolls St. John's 74-57 at MSG
See the five takeaways slideshow below.
First half dominance
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTSt. John's got off to a fast start, taking an early 7-0 lead and it looked like it was going to be another slow start for Providence.
However, led by LaDontae Henton and Kris Dunn, the Friars surged, going on a 16-2 run to go up 16-9 and a 30-6 run overall to go up 30-13 with six minutes to play in the half.
Providence led 40-27 at half time before St. John's made a run in the second half to get as close as eight points, but the Friars would hang on and get the win.
Three Double-Doubles
Three players had double-doubles for Providence. LaDontae Henton led the Friars with 20 points and 12 rebounds while Kris Dunn added 17 points and 11 assists. Ben Bentil poured in 14 points and pulled down 13 rebounds to round out the Friar double-double group.
Rysheed Jordan led St. John's with 18 points off the bench. Jordan was the only player in double figures for the Red Storm.
The Friars battle the Wildcats on Friday, March 13 at Madison Square Garden in New York with the winner going to the championship game. Tip -off is set for 7 p.m.
For a further look at the Friars win, see the five takeaways slideshow below.
Five Takeaways From the Friars 74-57 Win Over St. John's
Harris & Bentil
it is no secret that Providence going to go as far as Kris Dunn and LaDontae Henton take them. However, PC is going to need other guys to contribute along the way and against St. John's, those guys were Tyler Harris and Ben Bentil.
Bentil recorded his fourth double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds while Tyler Harris poured in 15 points, grabbed five rebounds and had two steals in 36 minutes off the bench.
If Providence can get a third and fourth player to contribute on a regular basis, no matter who it is, they will be dangerous going forward.
Kris Dunn
Kris Dunn was named Big East Player of the Year on Wednesday and on Thursday he played like it....most of the time.
Dunn poured in 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting from the field and 4-of-5 from the free throw line while dishing out 11 assists and grabbing four rebounds.
The double-double is Dunn's sixth of the year and his first in a little less than two months.
The only negative was Dunn's team leading five turnovers, however, in this game they did not prove costly.
LaDontae Henton
After not such a great game against Butler, LaDontae Henton bounced back to lead the Friars to a quarterfinal round win.
Henton poured in 20 points on 7-of-14 shooting from the field, including 3-of-6 from beyond the arc. Henton also grabbed 12 rebounds to complete his sixth double-double of the season.
With his 20 points, Henton has now moved into third place on the Friars all-time scoring list behind Ryan Gomes and Jimmy Walker.
Defense
St. John's played this game on their home court which should have been an advantage for them. However, the Providence defense locked the Red Storm down.
Carson Desrosiers had two blocked shots in the game while Providence had nine steals and forced 13 turnovers.
The Red Storm shot 31 % from the field and 28% from three-point land.
The Friars also out rebounded St. John's 49-36.
Better start
Providence trailed St. John's 7-0 three minutes into the game and had the collective voice of Friars fans saying "here we go again."
However, Providence then went on a 16-2 run to go up 16-9 in the game and then extended the run, making it a 30-6 run to go up 30-13 in the game.
Providence led 40-27 at the half and while St. John's made a second half run, which you knew they were going to, the Friars were never really in serious danger. The Red Storm got as close as eight.
The Friars fast start got them the win.
