Ed Cooley helped build the frothing Friars fanbase, so he was prepared for the Providence crowd to aim its fury at him. “They are like that every game,” the former Providence coach said on Saturday after PC, egged on by a rabid and often vulgar crowd, rallied in the final two minutes to beat Cooley and the Georgetown Hoyas 84-76. Cooley was cursed and mocked from his first arrival on the court.
Creighton (11-4, 2-2 Big East) led 48-30 before the Friars used a 25-8 run to get within 56-55 on Devin Carter’s 3-pointer. Trey Alexander then hit a 3-pointer to start a 6-0 burst by Creighton over the next 2 minutes to give the team some breathing room. Creighton’s defensive intensity in the final five minutes of the first half began to take its toll on the Friars.
Dre Davis scored 17 points and Kadary Richmond added 16 points as Seton Hall defeated No. 23 Providence 61-57 on Wednesday night. Save for a brief stretch in the second half, the Pirates (9-5, 2-1 Big East) held the lead over the final 28 minutes. Dylan Addae-Wusu finished with 12 points and 11 rebounds while Al-Amir Dawes also added 12 points.
Providence swingman Bryce Hopkins is out for the season with a torn left ACL suffered in the No. 23 Friars' loss to Seton Hall on Wednesday night. “We all feel for Bryce and his family in this difficult time,” Providence coach Kim English said in a statement on Thursday. Hopkins went down midway through the second half of the 61-57 loss and screamed in pain.