Providence basketball fades down stretch. Here’s what happened vs. Creighton

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PROVIDENCE — Can’t imagine there are too many opposing Big East fans who will shed a tear when Ryan Kalkbrenner and Steven Ashworth eventually exhaust their college eligibility at Creighton.

That veteran duo was at its sharpest when the Bluejays required it Wednesday night, and the result was a rare road victory in a place where they’ve traditionally struggled.

Providence faded in crunch time, scoreless over the last 3:41 and just 3-for-16 from the floor over the closing 8:59. That left the door open for Creighton to walk through, and they exited Amica Mutual Pavilion with an 80-69 victory.

Kalkbrenner poured in a game-high 35 points – the most allowed by the Friars to a single opponent this season. Ashworth added 23 points and six assists, several of those coming on Kalkbrenner’s seven dunks at the rim. The Bluejays fell in four of their previous five trips here, but Providence couldn’t extend that misery in front of 11,726 fans.

More: With a month to go, which Rhode Island college hoops teams have realistic postseason hopes?

“They played a great game,” Providence coach Kim English said. “Well organized. Very, very smart.

“Obviously two of the best players in our league – two of the best five players in our league. That’s a great advantage to have.”

The Friars managed just one more field goal after Rich Baron dropped in a 3-pointer to make it a 69-66 game with 5:37 left. Kalkbrenner scored on the block and Ashworth drilled a 3-pointer out high, giving Creighton its largest lead to that point. Ashworth tapped out another Providence miss to send Jamiya Neal away for a layup, and the Bluejays finally had a comfortable nine-point cushion with 2:12 to play.

“We’ve had a hard time winning here,” Creighton coach Greg McDermott said. “I expected a physical, great game. And that’s what it was.”

Kalkbrenner started 0-for-5 from the floor before picking up his first bucket with 8:15 left in the first half. He motioned for a foul call that never came,…

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Source link : https://sports.yahoo.com/providence-basketball-fades-down-stretch-124603883.html

Author : The Providence Journal

Publish date : 2025-02-06 12:46:00

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