Men's Basketball Shuts Down Longhorns, 70-48

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Providence College men's basketball team defeated the Texas Longhorns, 70-48, on Saturday, Dec. 21 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I as part of the BIG EAST-Big 12 Battle. With this win, the Friars wrapped up their non-conference schedule with a 7-6 record. The Friars recorded 52 rebounds on the afternoon. The last time they had 50 or more rebounds was when they played UConn on Jan. 31, 2013.

" I thought today we answered the bell defensively and I thought we answered the bell with offensive execution, especially rebounding the ball,"Head Coach Ed Cooley said. "Today we answered the bell defensively and I thought we answered the bell with offensive execution, especially rebounding the ball."

David Duke (Providence, R.I.) scored the first field goal of the game for the Friars, knocking down a three-point jumper. With 16:24 left in the first half, Duke got a steal which led to a Kalif Young (Vaughan, Ontario) dunk on the other end.

Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.) added another dunk nearly two minutes later. He finished in double-figures coming off the bench, scoring 10 points and grabbing seven rebounds.

With 13:58 on the clock Luwane Pipkins (Chicago, Ill.) hit the second Friar three which forced Texas to call a timeout. Providence went on a 14-2 run in last four minutes and held the lead 15-7.

Duke knocked down his second three-pointer of the game with just above nine minutes on the clock. Not long after, the Longhorns' Andrew Jones hit their first three point goal of the night and only three of the first half (1-12) with 6:43 on the clock. The Friars responded with a quick steal and dunk by Emmitt Holt (Rochester, N.Y.) to make the score 26-19.

"Coach always tell us that we practice how we play," Holt said. "When we increase the intensity and increase the focus, all that plays out on the floor itself."

With just under two minutes left in the half, Pipkins converted on a four-point play to help put the team on a hot streak. A.J. Reeves (Roxbury, Mass.) made a three-pointer on the following possession and Alpha Diallo (New York, N.Y.) converted on a tough two in the paint to make the Friars 4-4 on their recent shots. Reeves finished with five points in the game.

The teams headed into their locker rooms at halftime with a 43-28 Friar lead. Providence shot 16-35 (45.7%) from the field, 7-14 (50.0%) from three, and 4-7 (57.1%) from the free throw line. Texas shot 11-31 (35.5%) from the field, 1-12 (8.3%) from three, and 5-8 (62.5%) from the free throw line.

Diallo opened the second half for the Friars with a jumper. Shortly after, Young stole the ball from Texas' Jericho Sims, leading to a Duke layup in transition. The Friars went in to the first media timeout with a 6-0 run. Texas had not scored a field goal in the last 3:05 minutes.

With 12:32 left, Diallo converted on an and-one in the paint to give the Friars a 19-point lead, their largest of the game to that point.

Maliek White (Richmond, Va.) knocked down a three-pointer with under seven minutes left which was quickly followed by a Texas three of their own. Providence maintained the lead, 62-48.

Following the final media timeout, Young slammed it home in the paint. The next possession, Diallo added another dunk off of a Young assist. This extended the Friar lead to 22, at 70-48. The Friars ended the game on an 8-0 run to get the victory.

Providence finished shooting 26-67 (38.8%) from the field, 8-21 (38.1%) from three, and 10-18 (55.6%) from the free throw line. Texas finished 19-60 (31.7%) from the field, 3-21 (14.3%) from three, and 7-13 (53.8%) from the free throw line. Jericho Sims led the Longhorns with 13 points and seven rebounds.

The Friars finished with three players in double-figures and eight players in the scoring column. Diallo led the squad offensively with 14 points, 12 rebounds and five assists. He finished with his sixth double-double of the season. Pipkins contributed with 13 points, six rebounds and four assists. He shot 4-6 from three point land on the day. Watson finished with 10 points and seven rebounds.

In their next game, the Friars will take on the Georgetown Hoyas at the Dunkin' Donuts Center on Tuesday, December 31. Tip-off is at 5:30 p.m. ET on FS1. It will be their first BIG EAST matchup of the season.

-GO FRIARS-

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Team Stats

Alpha Diallo

Luwane Pipkins

Nate Watson

David Duke

Players Mentioned

Alpha Diallo

David Duke

Emmitt Holt

Luwane Pipkins

A.J. Reeves

Nate Watson

Maliek White

Kalif Young

Players Mentioned

Alpha Diallo

David Duke

Emmitt Holt

Luwane Pipkins

A.J. Reeves

Nate Watson

Maliek White

Kalif Young

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Providence College Athletics