Providence fends off TCU in 79-70 win

Providence improved to 4-2 on Wednesday night with a big win over TCU. The Friars fended off the Horned Frogs and all their mighty efforts, as they won 79-70 down in Fort Worth. It’s the second win in a row for PC, who’ve also won three of their last four games since the month of December began.

The Friars got the win in part because of the play of David Duke. The All-Big East First Team selection scored 28 points for the second consecutive game in a row. It it also marked the seventh time in his career that he had scored at least 20 points in a game. It didn’t quite touch his 36-point outburst against Creighton back in January, but it was still a damn good showing. Duke was rather efficient, shooting 11-for-19 from the floor and 5-for-8 from 3-Point Land.

Nate Watson got in on the fun as well. The senior big man scored 18 points while grabbing eight rebounds, a standout showing on any night. He shot 8-of-13 from the field, helping contribute to a very good showing for the Friars offensively. PC shot 55.3 percent on 2-point attempts and also went 7-for-16 on 3-point attempts. The only area they lacked was at the FT line. They shot 6-for-13, going against their usually solid showings that they’d put on this year.

The prodigious performances from Duke and Watson were more than enough to get them over the hump. This while TCU had three double-figure scorers, as RJ Nembhard, Mike Miles and Kevin Samuel went for 25, 20 and 10. And while TCU outshot the Friars from inside and at the line, they fell just short on 3-point makes and also lost the turnover battle. The Horned Frogs committed 19 turnovers to Providence’s 12, and the Friars also had more PPP than their adversaries did.

Providence is currently scheduled to face the undefeated Xavier Musketeers on Saturday.