Providence College 85, St. Peter's 71: Friars give Cooley his 200th victory
PROVIDENCE — Business is about to pick up for Ed Cooley and his club.
With all due respect to WWE announcer Jim Ross, we’ll adopt one of his trademark phrases while discussing the Providence College schedule entering December. The Friars host Texas Tech, a rivalry game with the University of Rhode Island and a potentially dangerous nonconference opponent in Vermont over the first seven days.
First came the matter of downing Saint Peter’s on Saturday. Providence — aside from its 15 turnovers — enjoyed a rather potent offensive outing in an 85-71 victory at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The Friars shot 64.1% from the field, went 6-for-13 from 3-point range and missed only two of their 31 free throws.
The Peacocks were in contention until the clock ticked under 8:00 in the second half. A.J. Reeves pulled up from a 3-pointer on the right wing to hand Providence a 65-55 advantage. Breaking into double figures and staying relatively comfortable the rest of the way convinced some of the 5,987 fans on hand to head for the exits early.
What can the Friars take into their Big East-Big 12 Battle meeting with the Red Raiders? Let’s break it down.
Noah Horchler made the game look easy
The graduate forward knocked down his first nine shot attempts from the field and finished with 25 points. That’s the most he’s poured in since he transferred from North Florida. Horchler added 11 rebounds for his fourth double-double at Providence.
“Quite frankly, we tried to get him four or five more looks at the basket,” Cooley said. “When you’re having one of these days and the basket looks like the ocean, the players have to see that and try to give it to the player as much as we can.”
Horchler finished 9-for-10 from the floor, 3-for-4 from 3-point range and 4-for-4 at the foul line. He scored on deep shots, from the post and on the offensive glass. His jumper was pure and a soft touch around the rim allowed for one particular putback midway through the second half.
“Coach calls my number and I’m ready to shoot the ball,” Horchler said. “I’m always prepared.”
Horchler added five assists and committed just one turnover in 39 minutes. It would be safe to call this his best game for the Friars.
Nate Watson's work pays off
Nate Watson has done a little work on both his foul shooting and his physique.
Providence’s big man was chided by Cooley for his 3-for-8 performance at the line in a previous win over New Hampshire. Watson was a perfect 7-for-7 against Saint Peter’s as part of his 23-point day.
“It’s something I’ve been practicing,” Watson said. “Shooting free throws for 20 minutes a day. Coming in the morning and at night.”
Cooley has long employed a treadmill at practice to punish certain mistakes — missed free throws are occasionally among them. Watson opted for his own form of discipline by promising to complete 50 pushups for each miss at the line.
“I did it a little bit,” Watson said. “I didn’t do 50 — that's kind of too much.”
Three of Watson’s shot attempts came on just the second 3-pointer of his career. The shot clock was winding down midway through the first half when Watson scooped up a loose ball out high. Saint Peter’s contested the jumper and hacked Watson on the arm — he proceeded to connect on all three attempts at the line.
Injuries, illnesses hit Providence's lineup
The Friars finished the game down three members of their rotation.
Justin Minaya and Brycen Goodine were both sidelined due to illness. They weren’t spotted in the building at any point. Jared Bynum (right ankle/foot) crashed hard to the floor with 8:40 to play in the first half and didn’t return.
“We feel for him,” Cooley said. “We’ve got to get healthy really quick. We’re really banged up right now.”
Reeves was sick during two Legends Classic games in New Jersey earlier in the week. Minaya, Goodine and Ed Croswell are among Providence players who have reported being under the weather over the last few days. Cooley hopes all four will be closer to 100% for Texas Tech.
Bynum could be less of a sure thing. He emerged from the locker room in a walking boot and will be sent for both an x-ray and an MRI. His status will be updated early next week.
bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
This article originally appeared on The Providence Journal: Providence College men's basketball plays St. Peter's University
