Providence Friars 88 (6-1)

Rider Broncs 84 (5-2)

The Providence Friars were able to hold on to a lead that they built in the first half to pull out the win at home against a very tough Rider team.  Rider is known for having the ability to score, especially in the second half of games, and did everything they could to live up to that hype, putting up 53 points in the second half.  Rider is averaging over 84 points a game, and this was the fifth time in seven games this year that that they have put up 50+ points in the second frame.

Fortunately for the Friars, Rider couldn’t stop themselves from turning the ball over, setting a season-high in the first half alone and finishing the game with 21 turnovers in total.

Rodney Bullock led the Friars in scoring with a season-high 23 points and Alpha Diallo recorded his first double-double as a Friar with 13 points and a career-high 11 rebounds.

Game Notes:

• Rodney Bullock continued his streak of good offensive games, going 8-18 from the floor and getting to the free throw line 8 times.  Bullock has now scored 15 or more points in each of the last 5 games, averaging 18 per game over that stretch.
• And as the saying goes, you can’t teach hustle.

You can’t teach hustle #pcbb #RodneyBullock pic.twitter.com/LL9iwSis8t

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) December 9, 2017

• Alpha Diallo recored his first ever double-double with a career-high 11 rebounds and 13 points.
• Is it just me, or has Diallo only ever dunked with two hands?  It must his thing or something because I don’t think I’ve ever seen him tomahawk one down.  Just something to keep an eye on for no reason whatsoever.

The easiest two points Alpha may ever get #pcbb #alphadiallo #twohandsalways pic.twitter.com/vkDM7RvldD

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) December 6, 2017

• Kyron Cartwright was there to score whenever the Friars needed it and wrapped up the game with 14 points, 7 assists, 5 rebounds, and 3 steals.  An all-around stellar game from The Train Conductor.
• Makai Ashton-Langford was the fourth Friar to score in double-digits on the night, finishing with 10 points.  This was the second time that MAL has scored in double figures on the season.
• Nate Watson is becoming a reliable offensive option for the Friars down low.  Watson finished with 9 points in just 10 minutes.
• Watson looks like he is taking after Kalif Young with his ability to run the floor and you have to reward the big man when he puts in that effort.

Big Men who run the floor always get rewarded #pcbb #NateWatson pic.twitter.com/Dxjczof1Tz

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) December 6, 2017

• Speaking of Kalif, he had a stat line that he’ll probably want to forget.  In 16 minutes of action, Kalif finished with 0 points and 1 rebound.
• Jalen Lindsey hit a couple of threes (as always) and continued his three-point made streak, making it 33 straight games.  Of those 33 games, he made multiple threes in 25 of those.
• Maliek White was unable to connect from the field (0-3) but still notched 6 points as he got to the line 8 times, going 6 of 8 from the stripe.
• Drew Edwards had some nice contributions off the bench, scoring 4 and grabbing 4 rebounds in just 7 minutes.  He did turn the ball over 3 times in those 7 minutes, tying for the most on the team which is something he’ll have to tighten up if he wants to see an uptick in playing time.
• Rider have themselves a hell of a scorer in Freshmen guard Jordan Allen.  Allen is the kind of a player who is completely unafraid to shoot whenever even the slightest opportunity presents itself.  Allen finished with a career-high 28 points and went 5-10 from three.  He has scored 14 or more points in every single game this season and hit at least 3 three-pointers in every game he has played this year.
• I like how Rider is called the Broncs and not the Broncos.
• This is Kevin Baggett’s 6th season as the head coach of Rider after being an assistant for the team since 2006 and looks to have this team primed for some good seasons ahead with some of the young guys he has on the team.

Next Up, the Friars take on URI at the Ryan Center in the Ocean State Rivalry.  The Friars have won the last 7 matchups against the Rams.