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Grit on Display in Providence

Bentil v Illinois

Providence paid homage to Dave Gavitt in more ways than one on Wednesday night.

In a showcase named for the Big East’s founder, and on evening in which their offense struggled, the Friars held off Illinois 60-59 in the inaugural Gavitt Games with an old school Big East mentality. They grinded out a win and answered some of the questions that had hounded them throughout the offseason.

This wasn’t supposed to be the formula for Providence. The narrative heading into this season centered around the magnificence of Kris Dunn, a lack of size on the interior, and question marks up and down an inexperience roster.

The Illini were short-handed, but they were game. And they were big. Illinois limited Dunn to just three field goals and three assists and saw PC make only 6-23 from three point range and 8-18 at the free throw line — numbers that almost certainly would have added up to a loss if not for a few key factors.

Early it was Kyron Cartwright. With Dunn battling foul trouble in the first half, the sophomore point guard provided an early spark, making a pair of three pointers en route to an eight point, four assist opening half. Cartwright connected on just 4-33 from beyond the arc a year ago, but flashed an improved shooting stroke on this night.

Then there was the center matchup. Illinois postgraduate center Mike Thorne Jr. was supposed to be the type of player the Friars can’t contain. He’s 6’10, 270 pounds and was averaging 23 points and 11 rebounds through two games.

Thorne Jr. was a non-factor.

When asked in the preseason how they’d account for a player like Thorne, PC’s coaching staff emphasized the need to make big men cover Ben Bentil and Rodney Bullock all over the court. After scoring 56 points in his first two games, Thorne went scoreless on Wednesday night, fouling out in just 13 minutes.

Conversely, Bentil scored 18 points, grabbed 12 rebounds (eight offensive) and filled out the rest of the stat sheet with three assists, three steals and two blocks.

While Cartwright provided a lift, and Bentil battled throughout, the Friars trailed by three with six minutes remaining after Illinois knocked down three pointers on consecutive possessions.

The two teams combined for just two field goals over the game’s final six minutes, but the difference was Providence made four free throws late, while PC kept the Illini off the free throw line over altogether over the final six minutes.

It took a bit of good fortune late, with Illinois missing a layup, then a follow up dunk, and finally an open three pointer as time expired.

The Friars switched to man to man defense late and shut down a bigger opponent — answering a few questions in the process.

They Said It:

“I thought we showed some grittiness. I thought our young guys all contributed well. We didn’t shoot the ball well, but I thought we rebounded and defended at a really, really, really (high) level tonight.” — Ed Cooley on his team’s overall effort.

“It’s all about effort, concentration and just being relentless. And I thought our team had a relentless personality defensively today.” — Ed Cooley on the effectiveness of his team’s defense.

“When we went man, it felt like everybody was locked in.” — Ben Bentil on the team’s defense down the stretch.

“I thought that it was just a hard fought game and it reminded me of a league game.” — Illinois coach John Groce

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Twitter: @Kevin_Farrahar

Email: kevin.farrahar@friarbasketball.com

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