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Four Things to Watch for: Holy Cross Returns to the Dunk

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1. Holy Cross gave Providence everything they could handle last November, ripping off an 18-3 run to turn a comfortable Friar lead into a tie game with just over six minutes to play.  Down the stretch, PC got clutch plays from their four play-makers at the time — Vincent Council, Bryce Cotton, Gerard Coleman and LaDontae Henton — who took turns making big plays late, with Henton providing the biggest shot of the game.

From my article on the game a season ago:

On a team strapped for depth, the quartet of Vincent Council, Bryce Cotton, Gerard Coleman, and LaDontae Henton combined to score 78 of the Friars’ 82 points in an exciting victory over Holy Cross on Tuesday night.

The foursome carried the offense throughout the night, but took turns in leading the Friars down the stretch after Holy Cross went on an 18-3 run to tie the game at 69 with 6:20 to play.

First, it was Council, who had led the team throughout, getting into paint with just over five minutes to play, converting a layup to give Providence a 71-69 lead.

Cotton took the next turn, rolling home a leaner with 3:34 to play to snap a 71-71 tie.

Following a pair of Holy Cross baskets, it was Coleman who came through next for the Friars.  The sophomore guard, who drove to the cup with increased conviction on this night, finished on an up and under layup with 1:52 to play with the shot clock running down to tie the game.

After the Crusaders broke down PC’s defense again with 1:30 to play, giving them a two point lead, it was Henton scoring off of an offensive rebound with just under a minute to play to tie the game yet again.

Four big baskets, four teammates who had the confidence to take, and make, the big shot in the closing minutes.

A Coleman steal nine seconds later gave Providence the ball with 49 seconds to play and four options on the court who had been making plays on the offensive end all night.

Coleman drew the defense, kicked it to Henton, who got into the lane, threw an up fake, drew contact, finished, and calmly connected on a free throw after a timeout to give Providence an 82-79 lead that they would not relinquish.

Gone is Coleman (18 points, 8 rebounds, 6 assists, 3 steals versus Holy Cross) and shelved is Council (19 points, 11 assists, 7 rebounds), so a large chunk of the production from last year’s matchup will not be on the floor, however Providence also got huge nights from Cotton (24 points on 7-7 at the line after a difficult trip to South Padre) and Brice Kofane who played his best game of non-conference schedule in grabbing 12 rebounds.

Cotton should be the catalyst in this one, while the addition of Kadeem Batts gives the Friars an interior scorer they didn’t have in this matchup last year.

2. Holy Cross is 3-2 on the early season, with wins over Maine, Morgan State and New Hampshire.  A week ago they were tied with St. John’s at halftime, before falling 65-53.  The Crusaders were unable to match St. John’s freshman JaKarr Sampson inside, as he ended up with 20 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

They’ve been one of the worst offensive teams in the country early, shooting only 34% as a team (#343 nationally), while scoring a mere 57 points per game (#317).

Holy Cross has size, and is led by 6’9 junior Dave Dudzinski who averages over 12 points and eight rebounds a night.  He had perhaps his best game of last season against the Friars, scoring 21 points (9-13 shooting) and grabbing 11 rebounds.  Batts gives the Friars another body to throw at him, which is key as he made nearly a third of their field goals at the Dunk in 2011 and grabbed five of their ten offensive rebounds.

6’9 senior Phil Beans is a stretch the floor senior who is averaging nearly 10 per game, while point guard Justin Burrell is the returning Patriot League rookie of the year.  Burrell made three of six three pointers on his way to 15 points and six assists versus the Friars last year.

3. The short-handed Friars have largely managed to avoid foul trouble while playing only six scholarship players.  As Woonsocket Call writer Brendan McGair noted on Twitter, they haven’t had a player foul out all season.  Clearly, PC is in survival mode until reinforcements come — and they’re not that far away with only three games left in the first semester.

They’ve largely been able to avoid the scoring droughts that so-often plagued them a year ago (like in the 18-3 Holy Cross run for instance), thanks largely to Cotton’s tremendous junior season.  As noted here this weekend, Cotton is one of only two players in the country to average at least 23 points, five rebounds and four assists and should be a matchup problem for the Crusaders.

The only time PC was held under 60 points was when Cotton sat with an ankle injury.

4. As noted above, Kofane was a difference-maker on the defensive end last season (12 rebounds, 2 blocks) and if Providence can win the battle in the paint they most likely win this one.

Part of doing so may be getting Henton more frequent looks on the interior.  38 of his 85 field goal attempts have come from beyond the arc, while he’s taken six free throws per game – a respectable number, but fewer than Cotton (45 free throw attempts in five games) or Batts (44 in in six).

A year ago, Providence established Henton on the interior against Holy Cross, as 17 of his season-high 18 field goal attempts came from inside, and he repaid the Friars by shooting 8-18 on his way to 17 points and nine rebounds.

The game served as a bit of a springboard for Henton who was crucial in the final minute, tying the game on a layup with just under a minute to play and then converting a three point play with 26 seconds left to snap a tie.  He made countless clutch plays for Providence from that point forward.

His shooting percentage is down from a year ago (45% to 41%), and a return to doing work in the paint against the team he broke out against last year may be in order.

 

Email Kevin at kevin.farrahar@friarbasketball.com

 

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