Providence basketball drops Big East home opener in a heartbreaker. Here’s what happened

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PROVIDENCE — Providence wound up paying a big price for failing to do the little things Friday night.

Defensive rebounding and ball security stung the Friars in a game they commanded through the opening 20 minutes. St. John’s cracked the door open in the second half and finally pushed all the way through at the final buzzer.

Zuby Ejiofor’s putback in the lane as time expired was the difference in a 72-70 thriller at Amica Mutual Pavilion. His board off a Deivon Smith miss and soft floater from close range sent the 12,104 fans on hand back out into the snowy night disappointed, as Providence dropped its Big East home opener for the first time since the 2018-19 season.

“Disappointing outcome,” Providence coach Kim English said. “Disappointing result. But no surprise as you watched the way the game went.”

St. John’s Red Storm forward Zuby Ejiofor (24) scores in the final seconds of the second half to beat the Providence Friars at Amica Mutual Pavilion Friday night.

It was the 18th offensive rebound for the Red Storm and finished a 23-4 advantage on second-chance points. Bensley Joseph nailed a 3-pointer from the right wing with 18.8 seconds left to knot the game at 70-70 but was the victim on the last bucket. He switched off Smith in a pick-and-roll action, with Anton Bonke guarding the ball and Ejiofor powering his way to the glass for an extra opportunity.

“I think they’re mentally maturing,” St. John’s coach Rick Pitino said. “I think three weeks ago – missing all those free throws, missing all those shots – we lose by 12 to 16 points.”

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St. John’s Red Storm head coach Rick Pitino signals from the sideline during the second half against Providence Friday night.

St. John’s gradually erased a 42-29 halftime deficit thanks to some dogged perimeter defense and that muscle inside. The Friars started 5-for-6 from deep but connected on just one more 3-pointer…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/providence-basketball-drops-big-east-124151715.html

Author : The Providence Journal

Publish date : 2024-12-21 12:41:00

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