PC tops Knights
Providence gearing up for Rhode Island’s visit
Providence warmed up for Saturday’s game with URI by beating Fairleigh Dickinson Tuesday.
PROVIDENCE – It wasn’t exactly a performance that evoked a great deal of confidence with your biggest in-state rival waiting on deck.
As they like to say, a win is a win and Providence College grabbed another one Tuesday night, this time of the 69-59 variety over a Fairleigh Dickinson club that should contend in the Northeast Conference this winter.
The Friars (5-2) were paced by Alpha Diallo (20 points, nine points), yet he was the only PC starter who was a factor. The remaining four guys – David Duke, A.J. Reeves, Jimmy Nichols, and Nate Watson – combined for 22 points. The bench did provide a lift with Isaiah Jackson netting 11 points and Nate Watson contributing 10 points and seven rebounds. Makai Ashton-Langford served as the floor general down the home stretch on his way to collecting six points, three assists and two steals in a season-high 21 minutes.
As Ashton-Langford ran the show, the Friar who had appeared to have unseat him for the backup point guard minutes continued to watch from the bench. Junior Maliek White came into the game averaging 18.5 minutes, yet he didn’t see the court for one second against Fairleigh Dickinson (3-3).
“It was a coach’s decision. We tried to put some other guys on the floor. Maliek wasn’t feeling well this morning. His stomach was bothering him, but I felt the game was OK to try and get some other guys in,” said PC head coach Ed Cooley. “It was just a gut decision to not play him.”
Xzavier Malone-Key led the vis- iting Knights with 16 points. FDU ended up outscoring PC in the second half (40-39) behind 57.7-percent shooting from the floor and 7-of-14 from beyond the arc.
“Defensively, we’ve got a long way to go,” said Cooley. “Something like this here, a lot of teams have lost these games. In the past, Providence has lost games like this in the past. There is something in our team that has some greatness. I’ve got to do a better job of bringing it out more consistently.”
The first half took on the feel of a preseason scrimmage as Cooley subbed early and frequently. No one in a Friar uniform was particularly sharp, yet the home team was able to overcome some choppy offense and cobble enough momentum together to grab a 30-19 lead at halftime. Reeves didn’t attempt a shot until after PC grabbed a 22-15 lead but Watson and Jackson picked up the scoring slack; each player netted seven points in a first half that saw the Friars hit just 8-of-14 from the free-throw line.
While Providence’s offense struggled to get on track, the defense limited Fairleigh Dickinson to just 29.6 percent from the field and 2-of-10 from three. Ashton-Langford was easily the best guard on floor during the opening 20 minutes. After not seeing the floor for a single minute against Iona last Saturday, the sophomore connected on an alley-oop sequence with Watson as part of a three-assist, two-block, one-steal performance that came in 12 minutes.
“I thought (Ashton-Langford) had a couple of better days in practice and was proud with the way he responded after not playing the last game,” said Cooley. “Like I always tell our guys, you have to be ready. Just because it’s Christmas doesn’t mean we’re going to give you a gift. It’s the truth. Just because you’ve got a uniform … you’ve got to earn your minutes.”
The Knights were still very much in the picture after threes by Kaleb Bishop (12 rebounds) and MaloneKey helped to cut the Friar lead to 46-38. Reeves responded with his first triple of the contest that pushed PC’s advantage back to double digits with 8:39 remaining.
Two hoops by Ashton-Langford served as bookends for a three-point play by Diallo that pushed PC’s lead to 56-40 with 6:07 remaining. FDU was still hanging around after Bishop dialed up another long ball that made it a 10-point contest with 2:55 left to play. Getting over that double-digit hill proved to be a tough climb for the Knights on a night that saw PC struggle to put their opponent down for the count.
Next up for the Friars is the annual clash with URI, a contest that’s on the docket for this coming Saturday (5 p.m.) at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The Rams haven’t won a game on PC’s home floor since 2002, yet the memories of last year’s 75-68 loss at the Ryan Center are still fresh in Cooley’s mind.
“We’ve got our hands full. (Rhody sophomore guard Fatts) Russell played really well against us last year,” said Cooley. “It’s a game that a lot of people are excited about it. We’re excited about playing it here in our building. Hopefully I do a good job preparing our group.”
Anyone who’s coming to Saturday’s contest is encouraged to bring an unused toy as part of PC’s Christmas toy drive.