PC tops Georgetown in Cooley’s return
PROVIDENCE — Winning time arrived on Saturday afternoon and Devin Carter, as he has done all season, stepped to the forefront.
The Providence College men's basketball team looked in real danger of losing to Georgetown in Ed Cooley's emotionally charged homecoming until a guard he recruited out of the transfer portal saved the Friars from the unthinkable.
Carter's deep 3-pointer from the left wing was the spark in a late run, one that wiped out Georgetown's final lead of the afternoon. Providence surged to an 84-76 victory over the Hoyas, a triumph that denied Cooley an upset in his return to his home city.
Carter followed his clutch jumper with a steal and layup on the fast break. Jay Heath Jr. was charged with a flagrant foul, and the Friars eventually capped a six-point possession with two free throws apiece by Carter and Josh Oduro. What was a 69-66 deficit suddenly transformed into a 77-69 advantage, and Providence had enough of a cushion to hang on over the final 1:23.
“(Carter has) done it in practice,” Providence coach Kim English said. “It translates to games. Nothing surprises me with him anymore.”
Carter netted 11 of his game-high 29 points over the final 1:53, the latest virtuoso performance in his junior season. He was a steady starter and defensive leader with the Friars after arriving from South Carolina in 2022-23. Improved shooting across the board — 10-for-14 from the field in this one, including a pair of makes from deep — has unlocked a different dimension to his game.
“I think I'm feeling a little bit younger now,” Carter said. “I might have a little bit more bounce the rest of the season.”
Providence seemed to have this one under control midway through the second half. The Friars opened their largest lead at 56-44 on a conventional threepoint play by Carter. His drive to the hoop and following free throw with 12:35 left had the capacity crowd on its feet.
The Hoyas responded with a determined 14-2 run, tying it with 6:53 to play on a Rowan Brumbaugh drive down the right. Heath's 3-pointer from the right wing was part of a 5-for-6 stretch from the field, as the visitors found their touch into the stretch.
Georgetown wasn't content with just pulling even. The Hoyas eventually pulled ahead when Jayden Epps connected from 3-point range to snap a 6666 deadlock. That boosted the visitors to a 24-8 advantage in points off
turnovers, as Providence gave it away 10 times in the second half and 16 for the game. The Friars hadn’t trailed since the midpoint of the first half. Dontrez Styles knocked down a transition 3-pointer from the right corner off a pretty extra pass by Heath, making it a 22-20 game. Providence hit back with a 10-0 run and settled for a 37-33 lead into the break.
That’s three straight wins for the Friars (14-6, 5-4 Big East) after a fourgame losing streak, and their NCAA Tournament hopes are alive and well. Oduro added 22 points while Ticket Gaines made it three in double figures with 14. Providence shot 57.1% from the field and went 23-for-27 from the line.
“It was just fun to be out there,” Oduro said. “Great atmosphere. Great team win.”
Epps finished with 26 points for Georgetown (8-12, 1-8), but he was just 9-for-27 from the field. Ismael Massoud added 16 points on 4-for-8 shooting from 3-point range and Supreme Cook chipped in 15 points before fouling out. bkoch@providencejournal.com
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