The Friars and the Huskies both went 0-3 in their holiday tournaments this past November. UConn righted the ship, winning 7 straight heading into Sunday’s tilt against the Friars. PC on the other hand has struggled mightily since Atlantis, losers of four of their last 6. It seemed like the Friars were outmanned going into this one against the back-to-back National Champion Connecticut Huskies. We break down the game below, as a undermanned Providence fought valiantly, but ultimately came up short.
The Friars played an excellent first half, attacking the basket with reckless abandon and holding the Huskies to only 27 first half points. The Friars held a 12-point lead at halftime and built it to as much as 14 points until the Huskies made their inevitable comeback. PC would give up 60 points to the Huskies in the second half and drop this one 87-84, pushing their record to 7-8 on the season.
Jayden Pierre & Wesley Cardet’s Big Games– Jayden Pierre and Wesley Cardet gave the Huskies fits all afternoon. It was the most aggressive we’ve seen Wesley Cardet in a Friar uniform. He had 18 points on 7/13 from the floor. Jayden Pierre put on a show in this one having a game high 24 points. He was lethal both driving to the hoop and hit 3 three pointers as well. Both Pierre and Cardet can both hopefully build off of this game.
Ryan Mela Continues to Impress– Ryan Mela came off the bench and provided 22 minutes for the Friars, as the freshman from Natick continues to impress. Mela had 10 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists. Mela just has a knack for knowing how to attack the rim and he seems to gain more confidence. It appears Kim English and staff found a diamond in the rough with Ryan Mela.
Taking Care of The Ball Paramount– Sunday afternoon the Friars showed how good they can be when they aren’t busy turning the ball over. PC only turned the ball over twice in the game’s opening half and to no surprise played a good half of basketball. In the second half they would turn the ball over eight times which would help the Huskies complete the comeback. The ten million free throws the Huskies took in the second half certainly helped as well. Turnovers didn’t kill the Friars today but did show they can be a good team without the self inflicted errors.
Summary
I think many Friar fans will walk away from Sunday’s games with more positives than negatives. I’m certainly one to agree but the reality is the Friars are now 7-8 on the year and in need of a miracle to salvage their season in any form or fashion.
Luckily for them, the road gets a little easier. This upcoming week the Friars host both Butler and Seton Hall. If they played like they did in Storrs, the Friars can have a 2-0 week and get back to .500 in Big East play.
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