Game Recap: PC Friars Take Back the Reins of the Ocean State Rivalry, Beating URI 59-50

On By The Morning HangoverIn Basketball Game Recaps, PC Men's Basketball

Providence Friars (6-2) 59

URI Rams (3-3) 50

181106_ma_nb_PC_vs_Sienna_Team_5.jpg

On Saturday evening, the Friars hosted the visiting URI Rams in another addition of The Ocean State Rivalry.  Having lost for the first time in the last 8 matchups, the Friars were craving a win to set the rivalry series back to its rightful place, with Providence on top once again, looking down on little brother.

Although the game wasn’t one of the prettiest displays of basketball that we’ve ever seen from either of the teams, the “rock fight” mentality of the matchup served a rivalry game well nonetheless.  With the intensity of the game essentially bubbling at the seams, the Friars were able to make the necessary plays in order to always have control of the game.

Even with Friars star Alpha Diallo having his worst game of the year, the Friars were able to skate by with a win on the backs of Freshman A.J. Reeves, Sophomore Nate Watson, and Senior Isaiah Jackson.  That’s the sign of a good and well-balanced team.  When your best player has an off day, the rest of the team is there to pick him up.

Game Notes: 

  • I feel like it’s a little aggressive to say that A.J. Reeves shot reminds me of Ray Allen, one of the best shooters in basketball history, but fuck me if his shot does not look almost exactly like Ray’s.  It’s the release point that really gives you that deja vu of Allen’s three-pointer.  It has the height, trajectory, rotation, and finish of such a smooth shot, there’s really no one else but Ray to compare it to.  It’s not like Steph Curry’s that has the quick release and immediate pull-back of the shooting hand.  Steph also gets very little jump in his jump shot while Allen has the set stance and good height on his, just like Reeves.
  • So anyway, A.J. went 3-6 from deep and 5-12 from the floor on his way to a team-high 15 points.  With shooting and points being hard to come by in this one, Reeve’s shooting went a long way to securing the Friars the victory.
  • Alpha Diallo scored in single digits for the first time this season, recording 5 points while not making a single field goal in the game (0-6).
  • Diallo did provide the Friars with some good minutes otherwise, making up for his lack of offense with other aspects of the game.  Alpha took down 8 rebounds, handed out 3 assists, was 5-6 from the the line, and tallied a block and a steal in the game.  With the high stakes and energy of the game, Diallo appeared to be pressing on offense and trying to make things happen whenever he had a 1-on-1 opportunity.  That’s not really Diallo’s game on offense and he works much better in the flow of the offense than trying to beat his defender off the dribble.
  • The great sign of a leader on your team is that he will do anything to help your team win the game. Since Diallo wasn’t clicking on offense, he made up for it in all other aspects of the game.
  • For the third game in a row, Isaiah Jackson and Nate Watson scored in double-digits off the bench.
  • The Friars outscored the Rams 29-8 in bench points.  All of the Rams bench points came from Tyrese Martin.
  • I was surprised that Providence didn’t go to Nate more often as he seemed to be able to do whatever he wanted to in the post.
  • Watson was his usual efficient self, going 5-8 from the floor for 12 points.
  • Nate also continued to rebound well, hauling in 7 rebounds for the second consecutive game.  Watson also had a season-high 3 blocks including this little beauty…
  • “Super Glue” Isaiah Jackson continues to thrive in his role off the bench while playing starters minutes.  Jackson scored 13 points on 3-6 shooting from the floor and 5-7 from the line.
  • Jackson also led the Friars with a team-high 9 rebounds, tying the most rebounds he’s recorded in a game since transferring to Providence.
  • In the first game with both Makai Ashton-Langford and Maliek White both healthy, it was White who got the majority of the back-up point guard minutes.
  • White netted 4 points, 4 rebounds, 2 assists, and a steal in the game while getting knocked with some ticky-tack fouls along the way.
  • Meanwhile, MAL got just 6 minutes of action but didn’t do much with his time on the floor.  Makai’s only stat was going 0-3 from the floor.  Not exactly the ringing endorsement to force yourself into more minutes…although I still have faith in his game.
  • Jimmy Nichols Jr. continues to get a good distribution of minutes but when you look at his stat line, you wouldn’t realize he was on the floor for so long.  The one unexpected proficiency of Nichols’ game is his ability to play high-level college defense.
  • David Duke’s intensity was there as he is more than familiar with the Rhode Island rivalry.  His offense didn’t really match up with his energy however.  I can’t wait until he develops a little bit of a post game that he can utilize against much smaller defenders in the future.
  • Duke had 4 points, 3 rebounds, 3 assists, but 3 turnovers as well in a somewhat uneven game for the stud Frosh.
  • Kalif Young was very active in his time on the floor and his hard work in the off-season seems to be paying some athletic dividends this year.
  • Sidenote, still like the headband.
  • URI’s Cyril Langevine is a player.  The Junior from New Jersey is averaging a double-double for the year so far and had a game-high 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.  If Fatts can get some semblance of a good percentage shot, they could be something interesting next year.

Up Next, Providence heads to BC to take on the Eagles on Tuesday at 7 PM on ESPN2.

One thought on “Game Recap: PC Friars Take Back the Reins of the Ocean State Rivalry, Beating URI 59-50”

  1. Pingback: 2018-2019 Schedule | The Morning Hangover

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