PC Downs DePaul 75-64—Locke Torches Blue Demons for 29 Points
Saturday, January 21, 2023
The No. 22/20 Providence College men's basketball team defeated the DePaul Blue Demons, 75-64, on Saturday at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
The Friars improved to 15-5 on the season and 7-2 in BIG EAST play.
"We started well and finished great today," said PC Head Coach Ed Cooley. "Our staff and players did a great job preparing for a difficult opponent."
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLASTNoah Locke led the way for the Friars with a career-high 29 points, knocking down a career-high seven three-pointers.
Locke is the first Friar to make seven three-pointers in a single game since A.J. Reeves '22 on February 26, 2022 versus Xavier.
Sophomore Bryce Hopkins finished with his eighth double-double of the season with 20 points and a game-high 11 rebounds.
FIRST HALF:
Hopkins scored in the paint on the first possession of the game.
The Friars went on a 12-0 run early in the game, with two three-pointers each from Devin Carter and Locke. PC led 14-2.
DePaul responded with a 12-2 run and held the Friars scoreless for nearly five minutes.
The Friars held a one-point advantage, 25-24, at the 3:53 media timeout, but found a spark in the closing minutes of the half, with three-pointers from Hopkins and Locke on a 10-2 run.
The Blue Demons made five of their final six shots of the half.
PC took a 37-30 lead into the locker room at halftime.
Providence shot 13-31 (41.9%) from the field, 6-12 (50.0%) from three and 5-6 (83.3%) from the free throw line.
DePaul shot 13-29 (44.8%) from the field, 3-10 (30.0%) from three and 1-2 (50.0%) from the free throw line.
SECOND HALF:
Alyn Breed scored two of the Friars' first three baskets in the second half. PC shot 4-5 from the field to start the half.
PC led 50-44 with 12 minutes to play. The Friars had missed three of their last four shot attempts, while the Blue Demons had missed five of their last six.
The Blue Demons made it a one-possession game with less than 10 minutes remaining. At the 9:34 mark, Locke knocked down his fifth three-pointer of the game. PC led 56-52.
Locke added his sixth three-ball and Hopkins scored in the paint, extending the Friars' lead to nine before the 6:54 media timeout.
With just over five minutes to play, Locke made yet another three-pointer, giving the Friars a double-digit advantage, 68-58.
The Friars maintained a double-digit lead into the final buzzer.
HIGHLIGHTS:
Providence finished 28-61 (45.9%) from the field, 10-23 (43.5%) from three and 9-12 (75.0%) from the free throw line.
DePaul finished 27-61 (44.3%) from the field, 7-21 (33.3%) from three and 3-8 (37.5%) from the free throw line.
Three players finished in double figures for the Friars, in Locke (29), Hopkins (20) and Carter (10).
The Friars did not surrender the lead in the game.
The Friars out-rebounded the Blue Demons by 10 and dished three more assists.
Carter tied his career-high four blocks, which he set at DePaul on Jan. 1.
Breed tied his career-high three steals in the game.
Umoja Gibson led the way for the Blue Demons with 16 points, shooting 4-10 from three-point territory.
NOTES:
Locke is the first Friar to make seven three-pointers in a single game since A.J. Reeves '22 on Feb. 26, 2022 versus Xavier.
PC is 4-0 in BIG EAST home games this season with wins over Marquette, UConn and St. John's.
PC is ranked No. 22 in the AP Poll and No. 20 in the Coaches Poll. It is the team's second week in the polls.
The Friars are 11-0 at home this season, 32-1 in their last 33 games at the AMP and 615-236 (.723) all-time.
The Friars lead the all-time series versus DePaul, 38-13. The Friars swept the season series with today's win and the victory on Jan. 1.
Attendance – 12,400
WHAT'S NEXT:
The Friars will remain home and take on the Butler Bulldogs on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 8:30 p.m. at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. The game will be televised on FS1.
Providence holds a 16-5 all-time advantage versus Butler. The Friars prevailed in each of their three meetings last season, including a 65-61 victory in the BIG EAST Tournament Quarterfinal at Madison Square Garden in New York, N.Y.
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