AJ Reeves dominates as Providence opens season with 77-67 win over Siena

We didn’t have to wait long for A.J. Reeves’ coming out party.

The freshman guard was apparently anxious to get it going in his debut with the Providence Friars. Reeves scorched the nets at The Dunk, going for 29 points on a 10-for-13 night from the field, as the Friars won 77-67 over the Siena Saints.

To their credit, Siena made it a bit of a game down the stretch. They trailed 61-46 at the 15:36 mark but got as close as nine points near the five minute mark. But Providence was able to hold steady and eventually closed it out after an Alpha Diallo and-1 with 2:41 to play.

Anyhow, let’s talk about A.J. Reeves. Reeves had a ridiculous night from the field. He opened up with 16 points in the first half while shooting 6-for-7 from the field. He was especially outstanding from the perimeter going 4-for-5 in his first 17 minutes of action from beyond the arc. The second half saw more prodigiousness, as he went 3-for-4 from deep and finished with 13 points in 13 minutes of action. That will play. Reeves also had two boards, one assist, one block and one steal. He also committed just one turnover in 30 minutes. That’ll play, too.

Reeves led the way by a pretty hefty margin, but he was not the only strong effort. Preseason All-Big East First Team selection Alpha Diallo finished the game with 16 points in 32 minutes. He went 6-for-11 from the field and also recorded a double-double, grabbing a game-high 11 rebounds. Isaiah Jackson matched Diallo’s effort on the scoresheet, finishing with 16 points, as well. The fourth player to record double figures was Nate Watson. Watson was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, taking all 2-point shots en route to that performance. He also had six boards and two assists, as well.

David Duke unfortunately, by comparison, had a bit of a forgetful night. Duke shot 0-for-5 from the field and could only collect two boards, an assist and a steal and had three turnovers. He apparently also may have hurt his knee, so we’ll be sure to monitor that going forward.

Makai Ashton-Langford had four points and no assists in 12 minutes of action. Ashton-Langford got into a bit of foul trouble, ending with a game-high three fouls, so that may be a reason why he played such limited minutes.

In his first game back after missing all of last season, Emmitt Holt played just six minutes of action and failed to pick up any points.

Siena got 15 points from Sloan Seymour in their loss. Seymour was 5-for-9 from the field, all of which came from 3-point land. Evan Fisher joined him in double figures with 11 points on a 5-for-10 night form the field. fisher also led in the rebounding department, as he finished with six. Jalen Pickett led both sides with nine assists.

Providence runs their streak to 10 straight openers won after their victory on Tuesday. The last time they fell was the 2008-09 season opener against the Northeastern Huskies. They will now turn their attention to a big ol’ matchup against the Wichita State Shockers on Friday night in Annapolis, Maryland.