Men's Basketball Defeats Fairfield, 80-73, In Season Opener

PROVIDENCE, R.I. - The Providence College men's basketball team opened its 95th season with an 80-73 win over Fairfield University on Tuesday, Nov. 9 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. For the Friars, who played their games on campus at Alumni Hall last season, it marked the team's first game at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in 611 days. With the win, the Friars improved to 84-11 all-time in season openers. Graduate student Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.) led the Friars with a game-high 22 points and four blocks.

FIRST HALF:

A.J. Reeves (Roxbury, Mass.) knocked down two free throws to get the Friars on the board first.
Fairfield had a quick 9-0 run to take their first lead of the game. Al Durham (Lilburn, Ga.) made a three-pointer to end the scoring drought for the Friars. Providence led 10-9.
At the 11:59 media timeout, Fairfield held a 17-16 lead.
With 10:01 left in the first half, Ed Croswell (Philadelphia, Pa.) forced a steal and Reeves converted the layup in transition. The Friars regained the lead, 20-19.
At the 6:19 mark, Alyn Breed (Powder Springs, Ga.) stole the ball and finished at the other end. The basket broke a scoring drought of over two minutes.
Ahead of the final media timeout of the half, Nate Watson (Portsmouth, Va.) scored on back-to-back possessions. The Friars held a slim lead, 32-28.
Fairfield's Supreme Cook completed the and-one play with 2:05 remaining to cut the Stags' deficit to one point.
Scores from Jared Bynum (Largo, Md.) and Durham completed the half for the Friars.
The Friars led 42-35 at halftime.
Providence shot 17-27 (63.0%) from the field, 3-9 (33.3%) from three, and 5-8 (62.5%) from the free throw line.
Fairfield shot 14-27 (51.9%) from the field, 5-12 (41.7%) from three, and 2-3 (66.7%) from the free throw line.

SECOND HALF:

Reeves made two technical free throws to open the half.
On the ensuing possession, Noah Horchler (Melbourne Beach, Fla.) knocked down a three-pointer from the left corner. The Friars had their first double-digit lead, 47-35.
With 14:03 remaining, Fairfield completed a 10-0 run in over two minutes to decrease Providence's lead to 54-53.
The Friars broke a scoring drought of over four minutes at the 12:28 mark with a three-point play by Reeves.
The teams traded baskets as the second half progressed.
At the 8:12 mark, Justin Minaya (Harrington Park, N.J.) got the offensive rebound and converted a contested layup. The Friars' lead extended to eight, 69-61.
The Friars forced a Fairfield shot clock violation moments before the final media timeout. The Friars maintained their lead, 74-64.

NOTES/HIGHLIGHTS:

Providence finished 26-51 (51.0%) from the field, 4-18 (22.2%) from three, and 24-36 (66.7%) from the free throw line.
Fairfield finished 27-63 (42.9%) from the field, 9-26 (34.6%) from three, and 10-15 (66.7%) from the free throw line.
Four players finished in double-figures for the Friars, in Durham, Horchler, Reeves, and Watson.
Watson registered a game-high 22 points and four blocks.
Horchler finished with a double-double, with 10 points and 11 rebounds.
Bynum led the Friars in assists and steals, with four and two, respectively.
Zach Crisler led the way for Fairfield with a team-high 14 points.
Attendance - 9990

WHAT'S NEXT:

The Friars will take on Sacred Heart University on Thursday, Nov. 11 at the Dunkin' Donuts Center in Providence, R.I. Tip-off is at 6:30 p.m. and will be televised on FS1.
The Friars hold a 6-0 all-time record against Sacred Heart. In their last matchup, the Friars defeated Sacred Heart, 106-60, on Nov. 5, 2019.

-GO FRIARS!-

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Team Stats

Nate Watson

Al Durham

A.J. Reeves

Noah Horchler

Players Mentioned

Alyn Breed

Jared Bynum

Ed Croswell

Al Durham

Noah Horchler

Justin Minaya

A.J. Reeves

Nate Watson