Providence Friars (15-12) 78

St. John’s Red Storm (19-8) 59

Why can’t the Friars just play St. John’s like every single game, is that too much to ask?

Providence was ahead for the entire game and looked like the team we thought they were going to be this year in the second half.  The Friars defense was stellar and held scoring stud Shamorie Ponds to just 4 points on 2-9 shooting.

As for the Friars, Nate Watson continued his string of leading the Friars with his fourth straight double-digit performance.  Watson tied a career-high with 21 points on his usual efficient shooting, going 8-12 from the floor.

Game Notes:

• Big Nate.  BIG NATE.  He is really coming into his own.  Nate has now made it 7 straight game committing 2 or less fouls.  It’s not a coincidence that his offensive numbers have seen a considerable increase with the additional time that he’s able to spend on the floor now.

This is how, this is how we roll #pcbb #BigNate #NateWatson #MaliekWhite #RollAndReceive pic.twitter.com/2NJFSvOGm9

— The Morning Hangover (@TheMorningHang) February 21, 2019 

N A T E W A T S 🚫 N#GoFriars pic.twitter.com/42PIbhRpnP

— PC Men’s Basketball (@PCFriarsmbb) February 21, 2019 

• Although Alpha Diallo was only 4-14 from the floor, he was able to finish with a double-double, notching 16 points and a game-high 11 boards.  This was his 8th double-double of the season and second one against the Johnnies this season.  He’s averaged 13 rebounds and 13 points per game against St. John’s.  It must be that New York State of Mind.
• A.J. Reeves’ minutes went up again in this one.  He played 25 minutes, the most minutes in a game since before he got hurt.  He still looks like he’s playing himself back into game shape and his timing may be a little off but I can sense him about to break out right around the corner.
• Off the bench, it was really the Jackson and White show.
• It was really nice to see White back to his old self from earlier in the season.  His confidence looked back after seeing the ball go through the net.  White was 4-7 from the field and 3-5 from three for 11 points.  He also 4 steals, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists.  He had to play a ton of minutes in the game, filling in for Makai who started the game.  Unfortunately he turned the ball over 5 times but with win like this one, I’m not focusing on shit like that right now.
• Isaiah Jackson had a similar game to Diallo because he didn’t shoot that well from the floor (3-8) but overall he had a really good game despite that.  Super Glue finished with 11 points, 9 rebounds, and a team-high 5 assists in just 21 minutes.  Those are some gaudy stats for just 21 minutes.
• LJ Figueroa scored a team-high 16 points for St. John’s but it took him 19 shots in order to get there.  You should never have more total shots than points.  That’s just a rule of thumb for everyone out there.
• Quick shoutout to the PC Managers.

Just as a PSA: if you try and steal one of our basketballs, we will hunt you down and take it back. Had to do some postgame investigating to get one of our #BreastCancerAwareness balls back. pic.twitter.com/ZEiKZ42lZh

— Providence College Managers (@friarmanagers) February 21, 2019 

• Also, shoutout to Big Cat.

I’ll be honest, I knew Providence would win, but even I couldn’t predict a win by a million. Easiest bet of all time. Vegas is begging for mercy. The streak lives on. 5 in a row. #BeAdvised #DogWalkingVegas https://t.co/W8BoYYb3kG

— Big Cat (@BarstoolBigCat) February 21, 2019 

Next Up, the Friars have a great opportunity for a good win with #11 Marquette making their way to The Dunk.