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One Down, Two to Go for Friars

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What seemed so unlikely the first week of January is now oh so close. Ed Cooley’s resilient Friars won their 19th game of the season, 74-69, at Seton Hall on Friday night and very well could be two wins away from a berth in the NCAA Tournament for the first time in ten years.

Providence won their second road game of the week behind what’s becoming a familiar formula. Bryce Cotton scored 17 of his 24 points in a 46 point second half for the Friars, while the rest of the Core of Six made key plays.

Kadeem Batts finished with a 14 point, 11 rebound double double while battling 290 pound Eugene Teague in the paint all night.

Tyler Harris (11 points, 6 rebounds, 5-10 from the field) made a pair of critical baskets in the game’s final 10 minutes and turned the ball over just once in 37 minutes.

LaDontae Henton did a bit of everything: 13 points, 8 rebounds, 4 assists, 2 steals, 2 blocks, Josh Fortune hit a pair of three pointers, Carson Desrosiers worked his way back into the lineup (flu) and emerging seventh man Brice Kofane loudly defended the rim twice with emphatic two blocks.

The victory provided Providence a measure of revenge over a Seton Hall team that pulled out an 81-80 double overtime win at the Dunk on New Year’s Eve. The Friars fumbled that game away with a late turnover and appeared to be a program once again headed toward a cold winter in Rhode Island at the time.

PC had just lost to then-#23 Massachusetts on a put back at the buzzer, had seen Kris Dunn go down for the season a few weeks prior, lost Rodney Bullock to a season-long suspension, saw Brandon Austin jump ship due to the same suspension and followed up the two crushing losses with a deflating 30 point fall at Villanova.

Yet, for the second year in a row Cooley’s team rebounded from the type of swoon that had killed Friar teams under Tim Welsh and Keno Davis. They won five games in a row after the Nova drubbing, and after struggling through a 1-4 stretch that many assumed would derail their tournament push, Providence has battled back once again.

They’ve now won three of four games with their only loss coming in double overtime to #8 Villanova.

And while Cotton has been outstanding and is deserving of everything that comes to him, the Friars are benefitting from a resurgent Batts, who has shot over 50% in four of the last five games (and .462 in the fifth), a steadier Harris (one turnover in his last two games, 15-27 shooting the past three), the consistently solid play of Henton and Fortune’s hot hand.

In all likelihood Providence will need to get to 21 wins to get back to the NCAA Tournament with two regular season games left and the Big East Tournament to follow.

If the recent home loss to Villanova was being billed as the biggest game in Providence in years, Tuesday at Marquette will be the most emotional.

PC will look to win their 20th game of the season against a team that has bullied them since coming to the Big East.

It will be Senior Night for a very special group: Bryce Cotton, Kadeem Batts, Lee Goldsbrough, Brice Kofane and Ted Bancroft.

A win and the Friars are on the verge of being in.

And if you’re late, don’t come in.

 

Email Kevin at kevin.farrahar@friarbasketball.com

Twitter: Kevin_Farrahar

 

 

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