Devin Carter, Bryce Hopkins Lead Providence Past Manhattan, 99-59
Manhattan never stood a chance on Wednesday night against Providence.
Outside of their win against a Stonehill club playing in its first season of Division 1 basketball, the Friars had yet to put a hurting on any of the low-to-mid majors that had come to the Amica Mutual Pavilion this season.
PC seemed to find something in its 88-74 victory at Rhode Island on Saturday, and it carried into Wednesday when Ed Cooley’s group overwhelmed a shorthanded Manhattan squad, 99-59.
This one was over early. Midway through the first half, Providence led 27-12 and moved the ball as well as they had all season. They were 11-16 from the field and had nine assists in the first ten minutes of the game.
Key to the early surge was Devin Carter’s energy on both ends of the floor. Carter is turning into Providence’s Marcus Smart, a player who brings endless energy and makes plays off of athleticism, aggression, and will.
“He’s a wild dude out there,” Cooley said of Carter after the win. “He makes a lot of things happen.”
Carter hit a pair of corner 3-pointers early (he is now 5-10 on corner threes this season) and was relentless defensively.
The Friars were led offensively at the break by Bryce Hopkins, who is emerging at this group’s go-to player on the offensive end.
After an eight point, eight rebound, four assist second half against Rhode Island on Saturday, Hopkins added 15 points, seven boards, and an assist in the first versus Manhattan.
For those counting at home, that is good for 23 points, 15 boards, and five assists over two halves of basketball.
Hopkins finished this one 8-12 from the field and 2-3 from 3-point range — good for 22 points and 11 rebounds. He also has 11 assists over his last three games.
Providence dominated in all facets in the opening half against Manhattan — shooting nearly 64% from the field, holding a 22-8 rebound advantage, a 28-10 edge in the paint, and handing out 15 assists.
The second half was more of the same, with PC outscoring the Jaspers, 46-27, over the final 20 minutes.
For the second consecutive game, at least five Friars scored in double figures. Ed Croswell made 6-8 shots en route to scoring 15, Carter finished with 12, while Clifton Moore and Alyn Breed both had 12 off the bench.
Point guards Jared Bynum (8) and Jayden Pierre (5) combined for 13 of Providence’s 24 assists.
PC also got a lift from redshirt freshman Corey Floyd Jr., who finished with seven points and three rebounds in nine minutes.
Cooley is seeing growth from this team, but is looking for more, “Our identity is not built yet. Every team I’ve ever coached is built on defense, toughness, physicality — and this team’s not there yet.”
The Friar offense may be built on getting out on transition and bullying teams in the paint. PC is averaging 13.8 fast break points per game, which ranks in the 85th percentile in the nation. They rank in the 94th percentile in points in the paint.
While neither opponent has been stellar, the Friars put up a 127.7 offensive rating (points per 100 possessions) against URI, and backed that up with a 125.8 on Wednesday against Manhattan. Those are terrific numbers.
For a team that was struggling to find its way, regardless of the opponent, the past two games have been positive steps forward.
The Friars are now 7-3 and close out their non-conference schedule on Saturday with a 2pm tip against Albany.