Paradise Lost: Providence basketball drops its 3rd straight game in the Battle 4 Atlantis

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The Bahamas were no paradise on this trip for the Providence College men’s basketball team.

The Friars came up empty in three games at the Battle 4 Atlantis, including on Friday morning.

Nov 29, 2024; Paradise Island, Bahamas, BHS; Providence Friars guard Jayden Pierre (1) runs into the arm of Indiana Hoosiers guard Myles Rice (1) during the second half at Imperial Arena at the Atlantis resort. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

No. 14 Indiana used a quick start to the second half and some efficient offense to pull away from Providence at Imperial Arena. The Hoosiers raced to an 89-73 victory, dooming the Friars to last place in the eight-team field.

Indiana expanded what was a five-point lead late in the first half thanks to a 19-7 run. It started in a 35-30 game with 3:36 left before the break and stretched to a 54-37 margin with 17:40 to play in the second half. Providence never came within two possessions the rest of the way thanks to its inability to generate defensive stops.

“It’s a harsh truth, but it is a truth,” Providence coach Kim English said. “We obviously haven’t done a good enough job getting our guys to understand exactly what we expect — what our standard is — in certain areas on defense.

“Obviously, when we came here the talent level was higher than it was in our first five games. We crumbled.”

Indiana’s Mackenzie Mgbako, who had a game-high 25 points, shoots over Providence forward Eli DeLaurier (12) during the second half of Friday’s game at Imperial Arena at the Atlantis resort in the Bahamas.

The Hoosiers sizzled at 53.3% from the field, including 17-for-27 shooting over the final 20 minutes. They piled up an adjusted 1.344 points per possession according to KenPom.com, the most allowed by the Friars in 43 games under English. Mackenzie Mgbako led with a game-high 25 points and Malik Reneau added 21 on 8-for-9 shooting.

“You have to work hard, but you also have to work smart — how you navigate screens, what you do in a zone,”…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/paradise-lost-providence-basketball-drops-204940008.html

Author : The Providence Journal

Publish date : 2024-11-29 20:49:00

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