A few surprising inactives and a sluggish first half left Friar fans a little bit concerned that the team would end non-conference play on a disastrous note.
The Sacred Heart Pioneers came to the AMP ready to play and occasionally picked apart the Friars defense in a first half that saw them only trail by a single point at the break. The Pioneers would actually take a lead with 16 minutes to play but the Friars were able to right the ship and end the game on a 41-26 run to win 78-64.
Devin Carter and Corey Floyd Jr suffered minor injuries in practice and Kim English decided to be cautious and hold them out as Big East play approaches.
Bryce Hopkins was able to pick up the production with a 26 point, 12 rebound effort. PC also received a great contribution from freshman Richard Barron, who scored 14 points off the bench.
The Friars finish non-conference play with a 9-2 record and seem to be in a good spot to return to the NCAA tournament as the 20-game league schedule gets underway.
Hopkins’ Big Day- Bryce Hopkins has been up and down through the first 10 games of the season. He’s still been productive but some poor shooting nights and a bad game at OU had some questioning his play. Well Saturday afternoon Hopkins was excellent and has quelled those doubts for now. With Devin Carter sidelined he needed to step up and he put in a 26 point (10/16 FG 2/4 3pt) and 12 rebound game. Without this big game the Friars might’ve had to sweat out the victory more.
Richard Barron Coming Out Party- Richard Barron, or as this program calls him Dicky Barron, showed flashes throughout non-conference play, but Saturday was his biggest day as a collegiate athlete. Barron would come off the bench and tie Josh Oduro for second leading scorer for the Friars with 14 points. He confidently let it fly on open looks from 3, going 4/6 from deep. At this point we can confidently say that Barron has a role on this team and could be a future star in Friartown.
Guard Play Woes- With Devin Carter and Corey Floyd Jr inactive, it created a good opportunity for sophomore Jayden Pierre and freshman Garwey Dual to shine. Unfortunately, it didn’t quite turn out that way. Pierre struggled throughout the game before getting hot late hitting his last 3 shots and finishing with 11 points. Despite the 11 points he only had 1 assist to 2 turnovers. Garwey Dual had 7 assists and had some nice defensive possessions, but he missed all four of his shots, all threes, and only finished the game with 1 point. These two are important pieces to how far the Friars can go this season and while they haven’t had outstanding seasons to date expect both of them to grow into their roles as the season goes on.
NEXT
The Friars will now begin Big East play on Tuesday when they host #7 Marquette at 8:30 at the AMP. The Friars will need to clean stuff up going into that one, especially with pick and roll defense. Marquette makes a living off pick and roll with Kolek and Ighodaro. The Friars will have their hands full but certainly can get the win in front of what we expect to be a raucous crowd.