Providence Friars 63 (7-3)

UMass Minutemen 72 (5-5)

With Alpha Diallo and Maliek White inactive for the game with injuries and Kyron Cartwright playing much less than 100%, the Friars still had a 5-point lead with just under 11 minutes of game time left but were unable to finish the job in what will most likely go down as a pretty bad loss for Providence when the NCAA Committee takes a look at their Tournament resume come March.

UMass was led by a stellar performance from guard Luwane Pipkins, who finished with 30 points on a night where the Providence defense looked unable to get any sort of stop down the stretch of the game.

Even with the injuries and playing on the road, the Friars should be able to win a game against a mediocre UMass team who has losses this season to Harvard and Quinnipiac.

Game Notes:

• I’ll start with UMass guard Luwane Pipkins, because he was the only player on the floor who truly showed out in this game.  Pipkins shot a very impressive 12-16 from the floor, including 4-7 from three.  He did cough the ball up 7 times, but when you’re shooting as well as he was, you’ll live with the turnovers.
• Makai Ashton-Langford got his first start of the year with Alpha Diallo sidelined with an injury.  MAL had a a stuffed stat sheet with 9 points, 6 assists, 4 steals, and 2 blocks.
• I’m almost to the point where no matter what MAL through’s at the rim, I know it’s going in, especially if he’s getting fouled while doing so.  The more improbable it looks, the more likely it’s going in.

Makai getting to the rim and finishing…again #pcbb #MAL #TheFinisher pic.twitter.com/ErDZOP7a0d

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

• Unfortunately, Ashton-Langford has been dreadful from the line so far this year, so a lot of those And-1 opportunities haven’t been taken advantage of.

Makai Ashton-Langford gets to the rim whenever he wants #pcbb #MAL #And1 #TheFinisher pic.twitter.com/sz9MeHYRT9

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

• The 4 steals for Makai where a career-high.

It’s as if Ashton-Langford knew he was supposed to finish that, so he made sure he did #pcbb #MAL #TheFinisher #IWillPostAllOfTheseIfIHaveTo pic.twitter.com/B5v7Dv79dD

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

• Jalen Lindsey extended his made 3-point streak to 35 straight games with multiple made in 27 of those (7 straight).
• Lindsey finished with 11 points.
• Kyron Cartwright was noticeably playing at less than 100% and it showed.  Cartwright was just 2-11 from the floor for 5 points.  However, since he was unable to be an effective scorer, he picked up the effort in other departments, grabbing 7 rebounds and dishing out 8 assists to just 1 turnover.
• Kalif Young had a very uneventful 20 minutes of action, finishing with 1 rebound and 0 points.  Every ball seemed to go right through his hands.
• Rodney Bullock’s final numbers of 15 points and 9 rebounds (both team highs) looks a lot better on paper than it did on the floor.  Bullock was just 5-14 from the floor and committed a team-high 4 turnovers.
• With a shortened bench due to the injury bug biting the Friars, only 3 PC reserves made it into the game; Nate Watson, Drew Edwards, and Isaiah Jackson.  The bench may have been the lone bright spot for Providence.  Together, the three of them shot 8-14 (%) from the floor for 23 points.
• Isaiah Jackson took full advantage of his minutes after playing an average of only 7 minutes per game over the last 4 games.  Jackson had an all-around strong game for the first time in a while.

Good to see Isaiah Jackson getting involved, the Friars need him to step up today #pcbb #IsaiahJackson pic.twitter.com/BlwQak63VM

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

• Drew Edwards tallied 9 points on 3-6 shooting, the second most points he has recorded on the season after scoring 11 against Washington in the 2K Classic.
• Nate Watson was effective on offense when he got the chance, slamming how a pair with authority.

Let Big Nate EAT!!! #pcbb #NateWatson #DunkEVERYTHING pic.twitter.com/DrfZFDhELq

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

• The Friars continued to STRUGGLE from the line, going 11-20 and leaving the difference in points in the final score at the line.
• Rashaan Holloway has been losing weight since his Freshman year but what he’s been losing in weight, he’s been gaining in my hatred for him.  He has a good chance to show up on my All-Hate Team this year…I can just feel it.
• UMass shot 56.3% from the floor.  If Providence gives up scores at that high of a clip, they’re not going to win too many games.

Up Next, the Friars return back home to take on Stony Brook at the Dunk.