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Men's Basketball
at Pitt (Exhibition)
2:00 p.m.
Providence College Athletics
Wednesday, January 23
Cincinnati, Ohio
6:30 P.M.
Providence College
12-7, 2-4BE
64
at
62
Xavier
11-9, 3-4BE
1
2
F
Providence
33
31
64
Xavier
26
36
62
Men’s Basketball Hangs On For 64-62 Win At Xavier
1/23/2019 9:28:00 PM | Men's Basketball
Senior guard Isaiah Jackson scored a team-high 13 points on 6-8 shooting from the field.
CINCINNATI, OHIO – The Providence College men's basketball team defeated the Xavier Musketeers, 64-62, on Wednesday, Jan. 23 in the Cintas Center in Cincinnati, Ohio. This marked the Friars first win in the Cintas Center, after previously holding an 0-7 record in the building. Last season, Providence finished with a 2-1 record against Xavier, most noticeably earning a 75-72 win in the BIG EAST Semifinal.
Senior guard Isaiah Jackson (Gainesville, Fla.) stepped up for Providence, scoring a team-high 13 points and adding four rebounds.
Nate Watson (Arlington, Va.), coming in averaging 12.2 points in BIG EAST play and scoring 21 points in two of their last three games, built off his recent success. Watson connected on a right hook over his defender on the first possession, followed by an elbow jumper minutes later. His 2-2 start from the field and presence in the paint on the defensive side, gave Providence a 7-6 lead at the first media timeout (15:52).
Watson finished with 11 points and six rebounds. His two free throws down the stretch proved to be crucial in the team's win. He shot 3-3 from the charity stripe in the game.
A mix of turnovers and hot shooting from the Musketeers led them on a 12-2 run after Providence's strong start from the field. Xavier took an 18-11 lead with 11:27 remaining before Kalif Young (Vaughan, Ontario) tipped in an offensive rebound.
The Friars found an instant answer off the bench to counter Xavier's run. Drew Edwards (Perry Hall, Md.) knocked down two threes, one that tied the game at 20-20 with 7:17 remaining in the first half. Edwards spark brought energy on the defensive end, holding Xavier just to 1-7 shooting in their 13-4 run.
Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) started to make an impact with under eight minutes to play in the half, he converted on a left-handed finish in the paint before delivering a perfect alley-oop pass to Watson the following possession. Watson was fouled on the play, he converted the free throw to give the Friars a 25-20 lead.
Providence's defense halted the Xavier offense in the latter portion of the first half. The Friars held Xavier at the 20-point mark from 10:01 on the clock all the way to 2:37 remaining in the half. The teams headed to the locker room with a 33-26 advantage for the Friars, their largest lead was nine in the half.
Xavier benefited from a strong start to the second half, cutting the Providence lead down to one, 38-37, with 15:53 to play. They continued the run to build their first lead of the half, 41-40, courtesy of a Naji Marshall dunk down the lane before he picked up his fourth foul on the other end.
The three-point shot proved to be the answer once again for the Friars, with Isaiah Jackson (Gainesville, Fla.) knocking down a corner trey.
Following a long stretch of back-and-forth baskets, Providence used a 6-0 run to hand them a 51-45 advantage. Makai Ashton-Langford (Worcester, Mass.) slammed one home in transition before he dished one of two alley-oops to Young over the Xavier zone.
Cooley threw off the Xavier offense late in the second half, resorting to a two-three zone that led to another 6-0 run for the Friars. This time it gave Providence a 62-52 lead with just 3:35 to play.
The Musketeers used a 7-0 run of their own to cut the lead to just three, 62-59, with 1:37 on the clock. Watson knocked down two clutch free throws to give them a five-point advantage.
Providence held on for a 64-62 win after forcing two turnovers with under 30 seconds to play. These turnovers contributed to Xavier's 18 in the game.
Paul Scruggs led the Musketeers with 14 points and four rebounds.
Up next, Providence will return home to take on the DePaul Blue Demons on Jan. 27 at 12:00 p.m. The game will be broadcasted on FS1.
-GO FRIARS-
Team Stats
PC
XU
FG%
.410
.481
3FG%
.273
.353
FT%
.800
1.000
RB
30
34
TO
10
18
STL
11
5
Game Leaders
Pts
13
FGM
6
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
11
FGM
4
3FGM
1
FTM
2
Pts
7
FGM
3
3FGM
1
FTM
0
Players Mentioned
Guard
/ Men's BasketballGuard
/ Men's BasketballCenter
/ Men's Basketball
Forward
/ Men's Basketball
2018-2019 Men's Basketball Highlight Video
Saturday, April 13
