A loss to DePaul could have ended Providence basketball's NCAA bid. But the Friars answered
PROVIDENCE — DePaul’s upset bid lasted nearly 30 minutes.
Providence College relied on its stars for the entirety of the contest, and it was Devin Carter’s defensive stop and then 3-pointer that ended the Blue Demons' comeback attempt.
Carter lined up the trey with 12:42 left in regulation for a 10-point advantage, the Friars' largest of the game at the time, as Providence cruised from there to an 81-70 Big East triumph on Saturday night at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
But the Friars (17-9, 8-7 Big East), who led by 23 with 1:45 left, surrendered a 12-0 run to finish the contest and coasted at points in the first half against DePaul.
"We accomplished the mission of getting the win tonight, but that's one of the few positives,” Providence coach Kim English said. “Very disappointed in our focus and attention to detail [and] execution in the first half."
Carter tallied 31 points with 13 rebounds and Josh Oduro poured in 27 to keep Providence from falling to DePaul (3-22), which hasn’t won since late in December.
“It's just immaturity,” English said. “Eighteen threes [attempted in the first half] when you're 5-for-5 at the rim, that’s ridiculous.”
Oduro’s turnaround hook in the lane sparked a 10-3 run for the Friars in the second half, who still hadn’t received scoring from anyone other than the big man and Carter in the frame. The advantage, 44-36 with 16:21 left, never dipped below two possessions for the remainder of the contest.
“There were moments during the game where I felt like we disrespected the game,” Oduro said. “That's not who we are as a program and we have to get back, learn from it and get better.”
Oduro found a cutting Ticket Gaines for a 48-40 lead six minutes into the frame to finally break the scoring drought. The previous non-Carter or Oduro basket was made when Rafael Castro connected on a free throw with 3:26 left in the first half. The Friars relied on Oduro and Carter’s scoring for a more than nine-minute sequence that spanned the intermission.
“I thought they were great and spectacular,” English said of Carter and Oduro. “Nothing they do surprises me. We hold them to a high standard. We expect a lot from them and they answer the bell most nights.”
Oduro made one free throw following Gaines’ score before Carter dropped in the 3-pointer that sealed the win.
“I think we have a good thing going on,” Oduro said of Carter and him. “But like I said, there's a lot of ways that we need to grow defensively as a team and also we want to execute on offense. I don't think that's just other people on the team. I think that's all of us, me included.”
Jaden Henley and Elijah Fisher posted 15-points each for DePaul.
Final two-minute meltdown
Providence subbed for Oduro out with 3:24 remaining. Carter also was taken out after he cashed in a 6-0 run to knot his season-high before exiting and the Friars had mounted a 22-point lead.
The Blue Demons then drew a pair of fouls and turned in two threes and got an easy basket off a turnover for a dozen straight points.
“To only win the game by 11 and them go on a 12-0 run is embarrassing and disappointing and we need to get better,” English said.
Providence travels to Xavier, who beat them by 20 at home on Jan. 13, on Wednesday.
“We just need everyone else to lift up right now and be better,” English said. “There's nothing that they’re not capable of doing. It's just a maturity [thing], it's a discipline and a responsibility to be dialed in.”
jrousseau@providencejournal.com
On X: @ByJacobRousseau
DEPAUL (70): Nelson 2-9 5-7 9, Abass 1-1 0-1 2, Fisher 6-6 2-2 15, Terry 3-10 2-4 9, Henley 6-8 2-2 15, C.Carter 4-12 0-1 8, Etienne 1-5 3-4 5, Oden 1-5 0-0 3, Young 1-1 1-2 4. Totals: 25-57 15-23 70.
PROVIDENCE (81): Oduro 10-12 5-8 27, Barron 1-5 0-0 3, D.Carter 10-14 4-6 31, Gaines 1-8 0-0 2, Pierre 3-7 0-0 9, Floyd 1-7 0-0 2, Dual 1-6 0-0 2, Castro 1-1 3-5 5. Totals: 28-60 12-19 81.
Halftime — Providence 34-30. 3-point goals — DePaul 5-17 (Fisher 1-1, Young 1-1, Henley 1-3, Oden 1-3, Terry 1-4, Nelson 0-1, C.Carter 0-4), Providence 13-34 (D.Carter 7-10, Pierre 3-6, Oduro 2-3, Barron 1-3, Dual 0-3, Floyd 0-4, Gaines 0-5). Rebounds — DePaul 31 (Terry 8), Providence 39 (D.Carter 13). Assists — DePaul 9 (Etienne 3), Providence 15 (D.Carter, Pierre, Floyd, Dual 3). Total fouls — DePaul 19, Providence 21.
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence men's basketball denies a DePaul upset with second-half run
