Providence takes down Xavier at home

The Providence Friars (12-11, 8-9) got back in the win column Wednesday evening as they pulled off an 83-68 victory over the Xavier Musketeers (12-5, 5-5) at Providence’s Alumni Hall.

Providence was armed with a well-rounded scoring attack, as five Friars reached double-figures. Senior Noah Horchler had a season-high 20 points to go along with nine rebounds, David Duke flirted with a triple-double, finishing with 18 points, nine rebounds, and nine assists, AJ Reeves tacked on 16 of his own, Nate Watson was a big presence down low with 15 points, and Jared Bynum rounded things out with 10 points.

Xavier’s Zach Freemantle recorded yet another double-double, with a game-high 24 points and 12 rebounds, as the sophomore big man now has double-doubles in each of his last four games. Freemantle’s effort wasn’t enough for the Musketeers though, as Paul Scruggs chipped in 22 points but the rest of the team struggled to really get going.

Providence was also aided by the fact that their threes were falling. The Friars went 11-21 from deep with Horchler, Duke, and Reeves combining to go 9-15. The Friars never trailed, and really put together one of their strongest efforts of the season from top to bottom.

Providence now has a week off before heading to St. John’s next Wednesday, while Xavier returns home to face Creighton on Saturday.