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Bentil’s Big Lift

PC at Hoyas

“When are we going to start getting production like that?”

How often had we heard that refrain after Seton Hall’s Angel Delgado ripped off another double-double, Trevon Bluiett led Xavier in scoring once again, or one of Georgetown’s four terrific freshmen keyed a Hoya victory.

All Big East freshmen, all having a big impact in Year One.

Providence welcomed one of the most highly-touted freshman classes in the Big East this season, and while we’ve seen flashes of why this group was so well regarded, Ben Bentil raised the bar in Wednesday night’s comeback victory at Georgetown.

The Hoyas and John Thompson III are familiar with the freshman power forward. During the summer prior to his senior year of high school, Bentil noted on a few occasions that Providence and Georgetown were recruiting him harder than anyone, but eventually Bentil ended up at PC while JTIII landed a trio of top 40 recruits.

Bentil finished with his first double double (16 points, 11 rebounds) and carried the Friars when they struggled in the first half.

Bentil hadn’t registered a point or rebound in the game’s first 10 minutes, but with Providence trailing 26-17 and getting little from Big East leading scorer LaDontae Henton, Bentil went to work.

He scored eight points and grabbed eight rebounds over the final 9:22 of the first half to keep PC close (the Hoyas entered the locker room with a 41-38 advantage, despite making 6-12 from 3-point range).

Bentil snapped a 7-0 Georgetown run with his first points of the half — free throws that were followed up by a 3-pointer by fellow freshman Jalen Lindsey — baskets that pulled PC to within 26-22.

With Providence teetering on falling out of the game, Bentil twice made shots to pull them within six, and his jumper with 2:17 left in the first half tied it at 34.

“Ben really grew up today,” Ed Cooley said afterwards. And we finally saw the aggression that made Bentil the best player in so many of PC’s practices this season.

Georgetown twice pulled away in the second half, eventually leading by 13 with 12 minutes to play, but the Friars rallied with Kris Dunn on the sideline (four fouls).

With the Hoyas trailing by a point with 10 seconds to play, Dunn came up with a steal. The ball wound up in the hands of Bentil, and the freshman knocked down both free throws (he made 8-9 on the evening) to give PC a 74-71 lead.

Bentil was a physical force early when Providence was reeling and the calming presence at the line to close it out.

All grown up, he didn’t play like a freshman on Wednesday night, and Providence wouldn’t have gotten a huge road win without him.

Twitter: Kevin_Farrahar

4 Comments

  1. Graham Dworkin

    February 5, 2015 at 6:44 pm

    Jake Myers #impactplayer #obviously

  2. George Wild

    February 5, 2015 at 9:39 pm

    Hope he keeps stepping up

  3. Michael Trenn

    February 6, 2015 at 12:57 am

    What a great game!

  4. Derec Lamendola

    February 6, 2015 at 2:52 am

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