Providence College Athletics

Tuesday, December 31
Providence, R.I.
6:00 PM

Providence College

7-7,1-2Big East

50
vs
78

Marquette

12-2,3-0Big East

1st half1
2nd half2
FinalF
Marquette
47
31
78
Providence
20
30
50
Mens basketball player Wesley Cardet Junior on court at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in game against Marquette 2025
Photo by: Ryan Feeney

Men’s Basketball Falls to No. 8/8 Marquette, 78-50

12/31/2024 8:37:00 PM | Men's Basketball

The Friars take on No. 11/13 UConn on Sunday


PROVIDENCE, R.I. — The Providence College men's basketball team defeated by the No. 8/8 Marquette Golden Eagles (12-2, 3-0 BIG EAST) on Tuesday, Dec. 31 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion in Providence, R.I. The Friars fell to 7-7 overall and 1-2 in BIG EAST play. Wesley Cardet Jr. (Tallahassee, Fla.) was the only Friar to finish in double figures, recording 11 points. 

FIRST HALF:

  • Oswin Erhunmwunse (Benin City, Nigeria) opened the scoring with a pair of free throws, followed by a pair of three-pointers by Bensley Joseph (Arlington, Mass.) and Jayden Pierre (Elizabeth, N.J.). The Friars jumped out to an 8-2 lead. 
  • Marquette responded and took control with a 26-2 scoring run, including 21 unanswered. The Golden Eagles seized a commanding lead - 28-10 - while the Friars went scoreless for seven minutes. 
  • At the 9:49 mark, Cardet ended the scoring drought with a three-ball. 
  • The Friars trailed 47-20 at halftime. 
  • Marquette capitalized off 14 first half turnovers by the Friars, delivering 20 points off those takeaways. 

SECOND HALF:

  • Rich Barron (Chicago, Ill.) nailed a three-pointer to open the half. 
  • With 13 minutes left, Cardet and Pierre added back-to-back triples. PC trailed 56-32.
  • Late in the half, the Friars engineered a 9-0 run, holding Marquette scoreless for over three minutes. Corey Floyd Jr. (Franklin, N.J.) capped off the run with a strong finish at the rim at the 5:21 mark. 
  • Marquette closed out with a 12-0 run in the final minutes.

HIGHLIGHTS:

  • Ryan Mela (Natick, Mass.) finished with a game-high and career-high eight boards. 
  • Providence out-rebounded Marquette by a margin of two (39-37). 
  • Pierre tied a season-high six assists in the game. 
  • Four players finished in double figures. Kam Jones led the way with a double-double, recording 18 points and 10 assists. 

NOTES:

  • Tonight's game marked the first-ever meeting between PC and Marquette on New Year's Eve.
  • The Friars are 10-8 all-time in games on New Year's Eve, including a 4-5 mark in BIG EAST games.
  • The Friars have registered a 15-25 mark all-time versus Marquette.
  • Tonight's loss ended a five game home win streak versus Marquette. It marked Marquette's first road win against the Friars since 2018 and the team's first road win of the season. 
  • The Friars were 1-2 versus Marquette last season, with the lone win coming in Providence.
  • In the most recent meeting between the two teams, Marquette defeated PC, 79-68 in the BIG EAST Tournament Semifinals at Madison Square Garden on March 15, 2024.
  • The Friars have posted a 133-286 (.317) mark all-time versus top-25 teams, including a 0-2 mark this season.

UP NEXT:

  • The Friars head on the road to take on the No. 11/13 UConn Huskies on Sunday, Jan. 5 at Gampel Pavilion in Storrs, Conn. 
  • Tip-off is scheduled for 2:00 p.m. and the game will be televised on NBC. 

-GO FRIARS!-