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Friars Improve to 11-1 vs. Rider

Lomomba vs Rider

Down Kris Dunn once again, Providence rolled to their 11th win of the season behind double doubles from three sophomores.

Ben Bentil was once again a force for the Friars, scoring 14 points and grabbing nine rebounds in the first half. He led PC with 19 points and 12 rebounds, while Rodney Bullock had 16 points and 12 boards, and Jalen Lindsey finished with 13 and 13 of his own.

Providence burst out to a 15-0 lead to start the game, but couldn’t shake Rider (now 2-9 on the season) despite the three double doubles and a 13 point, nine assist game from sophomore Kyron Cartwright, who stepped into the starting lineup in Dunn’s place.

PC saw a 15 point second half lead cut to five with two minutes to play, but Junior Lomomba hit a contested jumper with 1:26 remaining to push the lead to seven and all but end it, as PC eventually won 73-65.

The Friars close out their non-conference portion of the schedule at Massachusetts on Monday night (where they fell in overtime two years ago) and the big question is the status of Dunn.

It’s been nearly two weeks since Dunn left the Boston College game at halftime with an illness and Cooley said after the game that he wasn’t sure if he would be able to go on Monday night, “It’s a stomach virus and he’s just not there. He’s weak, he’s down, he’s sad. I don’t want to put somebody on the floor who’s not feeling well. It’s more about the big picture, not the present.”

As for the present, the good news for the Friars is that they continue winning down two starters. The loss of Dunn has somewhat overshadowed the absence of Ryan Fazekas, the freshman who has not only shot accurately from deep (47% from 3), but has also shown a knack for making the big shot.

Providence struggled from three point range without Fazekas, finishing 6-23 (26%) against Rider. Since Fazekas went down PC has shot 3-13 (against Boston College), 8-28 (vs. Bryant) and now 6-23 over their last three games.

What PC does have is a budding star in Ben Bentil. The sophomore big man is on the cusp of leading the Big East in scoring heading into conference play (he was 2nd behind Butler’s Kellen Dunham prior to today and Dunham scored just two points on 0-12 shooting in a win over #8 Purdue on Saturday afternoon).

Bentil wasn’t at his most efficient, making 7-19 from the field and 4-8 at the free throw line (he was shooting over 80% at the line prior to the Rider game), but he made timely baskets en route to his eighth game with 18 or more points this season.

Bullock has established himself as the next man up after Bentil. He now has four double doubles of the season and has combined to score 29 points with 25 rebounds over the last two games.

Like Bentil, fellow sophomore Jalen Lindsey didn’t shoot a high percentage, but Cooley credited his second half outburst for breaking open a close game. Lindsey connected on three consecutive three pointers in a three minute span to turn a one point game into a nine point PC advantage.

Lindsey’s shot has been inconsistent, but he’s finding other ways to contribute this season — most recently on the glass where he’s pulled down 29 rebounds in the three games he’s started in Fazekas’ absence.

Monday night against UMass is shaping up as a big opportunity for Providence. The Friars can finish the non-confernece portion of the schedule 12-1 and would be on the verge of a top 10 ranking heading into what figures to be an exciting Big East opener on the road against Butler.

The Bulldogs defeated #8 Butler on Saturday and beat then-#17 Cincinnati on the road at the buzzer earlier this month. They entered Saturday ranked 18th in the country and could crack the top 15 in Monday’s polls.

Twitter: @Kevin_Farrahar

Email: kevin.farrahar@friarbasketball.com

 

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