Stat Leaders

Starting Lineups

Recap

• One game after it seemed like Ed Cooley’s rotation was forming the Friars trotted out 9 players in the first 7 minutes, including guards Makai Ashton-Langford and Drew Edwards seeing their first action since Mohegan Sun after not seeing any action last time out against Iona on Saturday. Ashton-Langford was the first player off the bench for Cooley. The Friars were hurt early by turnovers, but used a 9-0 run to take a 9-point at the Under 8 media timeout. Fairleigh Dickinson had a pair of long scoring droughts, but the Friars didn’t pull away too far. Providence did much of their scoring inside the paint and at the foul line in the first half. Freshman sharpshooter A.J. Reeves was quiet with his 4 first half points coming in the final 41 seconds of the half. Nate Watson and Isaiah Jackson gave the Friars good minutes off the bench with 7 points a piece. Providence scored 28 of their 30 points in the paint with the lone jumper being hit by David Duke. The Friars were 0/4 from 3-point range in the first half and they held the Knights to 2/10 from deep. Fairleigh Dickinson shot just 30% from the field (8/27) and the Knights made 1 of their 2 first half free throw attempts.
• Fairleigh Dickinson showed more offensive life early in the second half. The Knights made their first 3 field goals, including a pair of 3-pointers by Xzavier Malone-Key. The teams continued to trade buckets and scoring droughts and Providence could never pull away from Fairleigh Dickinson until a sequence where Ashton-Langford, who saw his first action of the second half at the 9:14 mark, scored a bucket then stole the ball leading to an Alpha Diallo And-1 and the Ashton-Langford  scored again. That was a 7-0 run that stretched Providence’s lead to their largest of the night at 16 and the Friars never looked back despite the Knights trying to mount a comeback via the 3-ball.
• Junior guard Maliek White and redshirt senior forward Emmitt Holt didn’t see any action in this game. White played well last time out against Iona on Saturday and Holt had been working back into more minutes each game. Curious to hear what Cooley says about those absences after the game. Every other scholarship player saw action in this game.
• Diallo led Providence with 20 points and 9 rebounds. He scored 16 of his points in the second half. Jackson and Watson were the only other Friars in double figures . Jackson finished with 11 points and 4 assists and Watson had 10 points and 7 rebounds.
• Providence did most of their damage in this game in the paint and from the free throw line. The Friars scored 40 points in the paint and 16 points at the stripe.
• Malone-Key led Fairleigh Dickinson with 16 points on 6/9 shooting. Kaleb Bishop led the Knights with 11 rebounds.
• The Friars play in-state rival Rhode Island at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Saturday looking to avenge last season’s loss at the Ryan Center. That game tips at 5:00pm and will air on FS1.

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Mike Hopkins

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