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Rapid Reaction: Behind 35-2 Run, PC Hammers Marist

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Rapid reaction to Providence’s 93-48 drubbing against an overmatched Marist club.

1. Another outstanding day for Cotton. After struggling through a difficult shooting night against Brown on Wednesday, Bryce Cotton put up one of the fatter stat lines of his career: 28 points, 11 assists, five rebounds, three steals and just one turnover in 28 minutes. Cotton made all 11 of his shots at the foul line and 8-15 from the field, despite hitting just 1-6 from three point range. He has 20 assists over the past two games, and 24 through PC’s three victories this season.

2. A step back for Batts. On his jump shot at least. Since Ed Cooley came to Providence Kadeem Batts’ three point attempts have been non-existent (0-4 over the past two seasons after making 8-21 in Keno Davis’ last year). Batts made a pair of jumpers from a foot inside the three point line against Brown on Wednesday, and today he stretched it out further — attempting his first two three pointers of the season, and making both from the top of the key.

Batts was incredibly efficient, with 22 points and 10 rebounds, making 9-11 of from the field and both of his free throws. We saw his all around offensive game against Marist, with a bank shot from 15, the pair of 3s, 18 footers and turnaround chippies in the paint.

After an 8 point, three rebound opener against Boston College, Batts has averaged over 21 and 10 in PC’s last two games. His 22/10 afternoon came in just 22 minutes.

3. 35-2. After giving up three layups in the game’s first three and a half minutes, Providence ripped off a 35-2 run over a span of roughly 11 minutes that blew this one wide open. Put simply, Marist is going to have their struggles this season, but the Friars were able to extend the lead early thanks to good perimeter shooting, particularly from LaDontae Henton who hit three jump shots in the first half, and finished with a strong shooting night (3-4 from three, 6-6 at the free throw line) on his way to 21 points and eight rebounds in 32 minutes.

4. Speaking of shooting… On a night in which Cotton and Josh Fortune combined to make just 2-11 from three point range, the Friars finished 8-23 from deep, thanks in large part to Batts and Henton combining for 5-6 from beyond the arc.

Providence continues to shoot free throws phenomenally well, this time making 21 of 25, with the only misses coming from rarely used Brice Kofane (1-4) and backup power forward Lee Goldsbrough (1-2).

The Friars are 68-80 from the stripe on the year, good for 85%. Cotton is 21-23 and Henton is 16-18 on the season.

5. Woe is Marist. The Red Foxes struggled through a brutal first half, making just 6 of 25 shots from the field and only three over the final 16 minutes.

Looking Ahead: The 3-0 Friars host Vermont on Monday night. The Catamounts enter tonight’s game against Bryant 1-1, winning their last time out 77-66 over Siena.

From there the Friars head to St. Thomas to play in the Paradise Jam. They’ll take on Vanderbilt Friday night in a game that’s big for two reasons: they have the potential to get an out of conference win against an SEC opponent, and if they win they get Saturday off and play in the semifinals on Sunday. A loss and they’ll play again on Sunday, which would be a challenge for a team short on guards, specifically at the 1 where Cotton is the only point guard active on the roster.

 

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