DePaul loses to No. 22 Providence 75-64 in Big East

PROVIDENCE, R.I. — Windfall coach Ed Cooley predicted his crew would study from a 0-2 journey that introduced an finish to its season-best nine-game successful streak.

He was proper.

Noah Locke scored a career-high 29 factors, together with seven 3-pointers, to assist the Twenty second-ranked Friars discover their footing in a 75-64 win over DePaul on Saturday.

Bryce Hopkins added 20 factors and 11 rebounds because the Friars (15-5, 7-2 Huge East) improved to 11-0 at Amica Mutual Pavilion. They’re 2-2 with out level guard Jared Bynum, who missed his fourth consecutive recreation with a torso damage.

“What our gamers discovered is we’re fairly rattling good,” Cooley mentioned. “Windfall Faculty is just not right here as what they name simply glad to be right here. We’re right here to win and we’re right here to win huge.”

The Blue Demons (9/11, 3-6) got here in contemporary off a house upset of over No. 8 Xavier. However they dropped their sixth straight street recreation and are 0-4 in convention video games away from house. Umjoja Gibson had 16 factors and 5 assists for DePaul and Da’Sean Nelson added 13 factors.

DePaul pulled inside 53-50 with simply lower than 10 minutes to play. However a 15-8 Friars run, capped by Locke’s seventh 3, pushed the lead again to 68-58 with 5:10 left.

“It felt actually good. I felt like I used to be in a superb groove,” Locke mentioned. “They dialed my quantity up on the proper time. In sure conditions like that I really feel like I can knock the pictures down.”

Cooley mentioned they’re getting precisely what they hoped from the graduate switch, who performed three years at Florida and one at Louisville.

“He is aware of precisely why he’s right here,” Cooley mentioned. “He continues to get higher. We wanted that efficiency right now — a whole lot of backbreakers. … I like when gamers are forceful they usually need their numbers referred to as.”

The Friars completed 10 of 23 from past the arc.

The Friars sped out to a 14-2 lead, connecting on 4 of their first six makes an attempt from 3. The Blue Demons missed 9 of their first 10 pictures, then ran off a 9-0 run to shut the hole.

DePaul bought as shut as a degree late within the half, however the Friars closed with a 12-6 flourish for a 37-30 halftime lead.

DePaul performs at Georgetown on Tuesday, whereas Windfall performs host to Butler on Wednesday.