PROVIDENCE — This renewal of the men’s basketball rivalry series between Providence and Brown never had the chance to generate any real heat.
The Friars made sure of that by suffocating the Bears at the defensive end from the opening tip Sunday afternoon.
The hosts had this one well in hand by the break at Amica Mutual Pavilion. A rash of turnovers at the offensive end was the only thing that kept Providence from something even more ugly than the final margin.
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Devin Carter led four in double figures with 18 points as the Friars coasted to the line. Providence eased to a 74-54 victory against Brown, its penultimate challenge before Big East play begins next week.
“I thought our guys really responded well,” Providence coach Kim English said. “They heeded what the mindset and the tenor of the game needed to be — especially in the first half defensively.”
The Friars enjoyed a bit of a role reversal from earlier in the week. They were the ones bullied in a visit to No. 19 Oklahoma, a 72-51 humbling in the Big East-Big 12 Battle. Any calls for Providence to join the elite in the next version of the AP poll fell silent after a long night in Norman.
The Bears were the ones unable to match the sharpness that carried them to a previous road win at the University of Rhode Island. They scored just six points after Kalu Anya’s field goal with 14:35 left in the opening half. Brown closed 5-for-28 overall prior to hitting the locker room.
“We’re a whole lot better than we played in the first half,” Brown coach Mike Martin said. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t show it here. For our team, for our program, this is a game we really looked forward to.”
This one was decided rather quickly. The Friars turned a 7-7 tie into a commanding 37-13 advantage at the break thanks to their work at the defensive end. The Bears connected on just two of their last 20 shots and closed at an icy 17.9% from the field overall.
“We came out with a much better mindset defensively, which set the tone for the game,” English said. “Still some problems with the turnovers, but some of them I don’t mind.”
Providence was particularly stingy on the perimeter in front of an announced crowd of 8,655 fans. Brown’s starting backcourt trio of Kino Lilly Jr., Felix Kloman and Aaron Cooley endured an 0-for-14 shutout from the field through the opening 20 minutes. Lilly and Cooley didn’t score while Kloman couldn’t manage a shot attempt, a product of some switching man-to-man and a healthy dose of physical talent on display for the Friars.
“It was a great team effort guarding [Lilly] tonight,” Carter said. “I don’t know how many points he finished with.”
The answer to that trivia question was 13, and they all came in the second half on 5-for-6 shooting. Lilly and the Bears connected at 62.5% from the floor over the final 20 minutes, but it was too late to make a real dent. Providence’s lead after the break never dipped below 19 points, and only Sacred Heart remains before a jump into conference play against Marquette on Dec. 19.
“Made him work for every catch,” Martin said. “Made him work for every possession. Very attentive to him every time he was in a ball screen.
“Clearly, he’s the focal point of a lot of defensive plans. When he did get a good look, they didn’t go down, but they forced some tough ones early.”
Josh Oduro drew back-to-back charging fouls at the defensive end to help set the tone. His 1,500th career college point came on an afternoon during which he finished 5-for-7 from the field. Bryce Hopkins chipped in 17 points, Corey Floyd Jr. added 10 off the bench and the Friars (8-2) sizzled to the tune of 18-for-27 from inside the arc.
“[Oduro is] really mature,” English said. “He doesn’t get caught up in the things in the game that a lot of less mature players would — shot attempts, touches. He’s just focused on winning.”
Two Brown wins and a pair of losses by a combined nine points marked the last six editions of this game. The Bears (3-9) dropped a 77-72 overtime thriller here in December 2017 and the Friars declined to schedule them in the ensuing season. Former Providence coach Ed Cooley cited his friendship with Martin as the primary reason — those frequent close shaves and tepid returns at the box office were perhaps more significant factors.
“Mike Martin’s a great man,” English said. “He’s a great coach. Really respected the way he reached out to us when we first got the job.
“It was a good game — a good game for the city.”
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BROWN (3-9): Anya 2-4 0-1 4, Owusu-Anane 6-14 2-2 15, Kloman 2-4 0-0 5, Lilly 5-14 0-0 13, Cooley 1-9 4-6 6, Ferrari 0-0 0-1 0, Ndur 2-4 1-1 5, Wrisby-Jefferson 1-2 0-0 3, Lewis 0-0 0-0 0, Dabo 0-0 0-0 0, Erold 1-1 0-0 3, Uchidiuno 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 20-52 7-11 54. PROVIDENCE (8-2): Oduro 5-7 3-3 13, Hopkins 6-10 4-5 17, Carter 5-10 5-6 18, Gaines 1-4 0-0 3, Pierre 1-5 0-0 3, Dual 2-5 0-0 5, Floyd 4-6 1-1 10, Castro 1-1 1-2 3, Barron 1-2 0-0 2, DeLaurier 0-1 0-0 0, Santoro 0-0 0-0 0. Totals: 26-51 14-17 74.
Halftime — Providence 37-13. 3-Point Goals_Brown 7-18 (Lilly 3-6, Erold 1-1, Wrisby-Jefferson 1-2, Kloman 1-3, Owusu-Anane 1-4, Cooley 0-2), Providence 8-24 (Carter 3-7, Dual 1-2, Floyd 1-2, Gaines 1-4, Hopkins 1-4, Pierre 1-4, Barron 0-1). Rebounds — Brown 22 (Owusu-Anane 9), Providence 34 (Hopkins 7). Assists — Brown 11 (Lilly 3), Providence 15 (Gaines 4). Total fouls — Brown 16, Providence 17. A — 8,655 (12,410).