PROVIDENCE — As Providence College gathered for practice on Thursday, a few hours after a bitter overtime loss to Marquette, the collective mood was one Ed Cooley appreciated.
Instead of hanging their heads, the players seemed more upset, peeved even. With the challenge of facing No. 5 Xavier two days away there was no time to sulk.
“It was difficult but we knew as a team that we had to move on,” said senior Jalen Lindsey. “We knew we were playing a really good Xavier team so we had to prepare well to get this win. I think we came out and threw that first punch and we were good from there.”
Playing before 12,630 at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center, the Friars delivered one of their better bounce-back efforts in recent years as they warmed the souls of the sellout crowd with a convincing 81-72 win over the Musketeers on Saturday.
The win is the first for the Friars at home over a top-5 team since beating No. 1 Pittsburgh in 2009.
The Friars (11-6, 2-2 Big East) came out focused, nearly fully healthy and put forth one of their best efforts of the season. Five players scored in double figures and a Xavier team that came into the day second in the RPI could never take control.
“I thought our kids met the challenge today,” said Cooley. “Our preparation was great and we were dialed in. Very happy with the way we played. I thought we were gritty and I thought we were resilient.”
Xavier (15-2, 3-1) trailed 40-32 at the half and cut the deficit to two early in the second half. But with leading scorer Trevon Bluiett failing to score in the second half, the Musketeers couldn’t rally in the final 10 minutes.
Kyron Cartwright sparked the Friars with 19 points and nine assists. Isaiah Jackson added 18 points, Rodney Bullock had 17, Lindsey 12 and Alpha Diallo 11.
The Friars controlled the game the majority of the way with the exception of the lane. Xavier crushed PC off the boards, 44-28, including 17 offensive boards. That led to the visitors having a 22-0 edge in second-chance points.
But while Karem Kanter (24 points, 12 rebounds) and Tyrique Jones (12 points) hurt the Friars under the rim, the Musketeers couldn’t get much done at the defensive end. The Friars made nine 3-pointers and shot 46.4 percent from the field against a Xavier team that was limiting foes to 39 percent shooting going into the game.
“It certainly wasn’t our day,” said Xavier coach Chris Mack. “Give those guys a lot of credit. It’s not easy when you drop a home game and turn around and play another team in 48 hours. But that’s the Big East.”
Mack said 10 first-half turnovers helped ignite the Friars' attack. PC scored 14 points in the lane in the first half on the way to a 40-32 halftime lead. Xavier finished with 15 turnovers.
“Turnovers really put us behind the eight-ball. We have to be more sure-handed,” Mack said. “That got Providence out in transition and gave Providence a lot of confidence in the first half. From there we just played catch-up.”
PC were in foul trouble early in the second half when Nate Watson picked up his third and fourth in the opening two minutes. That led Cooley to play Bullock at center for long stretches and while that freed Kanter up to dominate inside on offense, Xavier didn’t cope with PC’s offensive balance.
“For us it was very difficult when they put Bullock at the five. That made it a chess match that was very difficult for our team,” Mack said. “We want to be able to leave a center on the floor because they give us a presence on the glass. That’s how we normally play. But while Bullock was at the five we couldn’t get a [defensive] stop.”
PC is still down a quality guard in Maliek White but only Cartwright (swollen eye) showed signs of the flu that’s gone through the team in the last week. Improved health, better shooting and some juice from a hearty crowd helped deliver a win the team badly needed.
“We’re getting a little bit healthier so we can see what we can be but I thought our versatility showed today,” Cooley said. “This is the team that we envisioned and hopefully we can continue.”