Providence Friars 62 (8-3)

Stony Brook Seawolves 60 (4-8) 

Rodney Bullock connected on 2 clutch free throws with 0.6 seconds left in the game to pull the Friars ahead and give them a win over lowly Stony Brook in a game that most of the Friars and the coaching staff will hope to soon forget.

The Friars came out looking slow and appearing apathetic at times to a Seawolves team that put it on the Friars early.  The Friars shot just 35.7% from the floor and 27.8% from three while only recording 6 assists for a team that thrives off sharing the ball.

If not for the Stellar play of Nate Watson and a burst of energy from walk-on Tommy Planek, this could have been a terrible loss for the Friars as they seek to get back to the NCAA Tournament for the 5th straight year.

Game Notes:

• Nate Watson got his first start of the season and deservedly so.  Watson has been averaging just over 14 minutes a game this season but has been scoring extremely efficiently off the bench.  Including the Stony Brook game, Big Nate is averaging 7.7 points per game in 14.5 minutes per game, while shooting 63% from the floor.
• Nate was the best player on the floor for Providence and wasn’t really all that close.  Watson shot 7-11 from the floor and scored a team-high (and career-high) 15 points in just 18 minutes of action.  I’m not quite sure why he wasn’t getting more run in the 2nd half considering he was the only one clicking offensively, but I’m sure his minutes will keep going up if he keeps showing off like he did against Stony Brook.

Big Nate getting things going early in his first career start #pcbb #NateWatson #BigNate pic.twitter.com/XQwHa211a9

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) December 17, 2017

• And that wasn’t even his best dunk of the night.

Wash. Rinse. Repeat. #SpinCycle #GoFriars pic.twitter.com/MBafXESMPP

— PC Men’s Basketball (@PCFriarsmbb) December 17, 2017

• Now, that’s not to say that Nate doesn’t need to improve on some things, hell all Freshmen do, but he is definitely advanced from an offensive standpoint for a Freshman big.  Defense is the main aspect of the game that Freshman college players need a while to adjust to based on the speed and size of the competition.  I have no doubt that Nate will get there, but it is very telling that Cooley was going offense/defense with Nate and Tommy Planek down the stretch.
• Tommy, Tommy, Tommy.
• I never thought I’d say this, but Planek was the key to the Friars victory.
• Tommy came in and immediately changed the energy of the game, his team, and the crowd instantly.  He took the top spot of the trapping press and helped force Stony Brook into turnover after turnover.  It’s never a good sign for a team when a guy comes in off the bench and your first thought is, “well, at least he’s actually trying.”  His effort was noticeably better than the rest of the team.  That’s not good.
• Planek only recorded 1 steal on the stat sheet in 5 minutes of play, but his mere presence and intensity were crucial for the Friars.
• On the game-winning possession, Planek was wide open under the hoop.  And I mean WIDE OPEN.

• Pick your head up Isaiah!
• This will go down as the Tom Planek Game but it could have been THE TOM PLANEK GAME.
• Fortunately, after Jackson missed his 58th layup of the game, Bullock was able to follow-up and get fouled with 0.6 seconds left on the put-back attempt.
• AD Bob Driscoll had some kind words to say about Tommy.

The man that brought the unselfish energy that helped win that game @PCFriarsmbb.#gofriars pic.twitter.com/MnRQjQouYf

— Bob Driscoll (@PCBobDriscoll) December 17, 2017

• Besides the two game-winning free throws, Rodney Bullock was out of rhythm on offense for pretty much the whole night.  Bullock was only 3-10 from the field but cashed in on 6 of his 8 free throws to finish with 12 points.
• Jalen Lindsey just barely kept his made three point streak alive, making it 36 games in a row (27 with multiple made threes).  Although Jalen was off with his shot, going just 2-7 (1-5 from three) he led the team in rebounds (9), steals (3), and blocks (2).
• Isaiah Jackson was solid once again (besides missing a wide open Tommy Planek) and finished with 13 points and 5 rebounds.
• Makai Ashton-Langford had a bit of a rough game overall, showing his Freshman colors for an entire game for the first time in a while.  MAL was 2-9 from the floor for 9 points, just 5-9 from the foul line, and turned the ball over twice without recording an assist.
• Ashton-Langford did convert on one of his patented crazy drives late which was pretty impressive.

Makai getting to the hole like he knows it’s going in #pcbb #MAL #And1 pic.twitter.com/3aHuci6q0o

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) December 17, 2017

• Drew Edwards didn’t score on the night, going 0-4 from the field but did grab 7 boards.
• Kalif Young didn’t record a point in 14 minutes of game time.  That makes it 3 out of the last 6 games that Young didn’t score a point.
• Sophomore Akwasi Yeboah did pretty much whatever he wanted, scoring 22 points on 8-13 shooting and taking down 12 rebounds.
• 6 assists vs. 13 turnovers…very un-Friar-like.
• The Friars were lucky to come out with a win and need Alpha and Maliek back as soon as humanly possible.

Next Up, the Friars head to Mohegan Sun aka Friartown South to face off against Houston for the Holiday Tip-Off on Wednesday December 20th at 7 PM.  The game will be on ESPNU.