The Friars and Golden Eagles met Tuesday night both in dire need of a win. PC had dropped their prior to contests at the buzzer, while Marquette was sitting at 6-6 after a loss against UConn where they held a 18 point second half lead. It looked as if the Friars were going to get blown out of the gym but responded and made it a game. Unfortunately they just couldn’t make enough plays down the stretch to complete a comeback and fell 69-79.
Takeaways from the Game
Bynum Sits Again; Breed Starts: Breed got his second start in a row. It is clear that Bynum is sorely missed, as the offense was stagnant all game. It is concerning that the entire output of the offense is contingent on the play of the PG, but that’s been the norm under Cooley. Hopefully, we see Bynum back against Georgetown.
Marquette’s First Half Run Killed Friars:
Providence was as good, if not better than Marquette for the majority of the game. At the 10:16 mark of the first half Marquette held a 17-16 point edge. Marquette would then proceed to go on 15-0 spurt over a 6-minute span where the Friars looked awful. Turnovers and poor defensive effort ignited the run and it didn’t help the Friars couldn’t score a single point for 6 minutes. The Friars did respond in the final four minutes of the first half to cut the deficit to 9. That momentum spilled over into the second half and PC got the deficit to 1 but could never get over the hump. The 15-0 run was a real back breaker.
Garcia Goes Off: We said in the preview here that one of the keys to a Friar victory is making life difficult for Garcia. That just didn’t happen, Garcia finished with 20 points and got two key offensive rebounds off missed free throws down the stretch.
Watson Injured, But Streak of Dominance Continues : At this point, you can just assume Big Nate is going to put up 15+ a game. Watson had to leave the game after an ankle injury, but returned in the first half. He found a rhythm in the second half, finishing with a team high 18 points on 7/8 shooting.
The Friars now sit at 7-6, despite having two of the top scorers in the conference. It looks like the Friars will look for another mid season miracle to secure an NCAA tournament birth. It starts Saturday when PC hosts the 3-8 Georgetown Hoyas.
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