Article:Providence stuns Boston College
great stuff ;-)
Jackson
PC stuns Boston College
By: Brendan McGair, Times sports writer
11/22/2006
PROVIDENCE - Those eulogies and trumpets playing taps have been put on hold. Providence College is back walking amongst the living.
Left pretty much for dead four days ago after a humiliating loss at the hands of Brown, PC reestablished a pulse on Thanksgiving Eve courtesy of its biggest win in a long time, a 73-64 takedown of 23rd-ranked Boston College. The foul taste the Bears left has been replaced for the Friars (2-1) while the Eagles were clipped for their second loss in three games.
"We'll certainly have a better Thanksgiving that it appeared a few days ago," said PC head coach Tim Welsh, breathing a major sigh of relief. "The guys understand that it's still early, but this was a major gut-check for us."
Providence's sophomore class, a group that Welsh has touted since the moment of their arrival, shone bright on this night. Geoff McDermott collected his sixth career double-double (18 points, career-tying 16 rebounds), displaying grit that made him a standout high school football player.
"We knew it was going to be a dogfight for 40 minutes and that's exactly what it was," said McDermott after PC out-rebounded BC, 42-31. "There was plenty of pushing and grabbing going on, but we had to fight through it."
Pawtucket resident Jonathan Kale sparked the Friars off the bench, manhandling his way around the paint for 11 points and six rebounds. The final pieces of the sophomore quartet, Weyinmi Efejuku and Sharaud Curry, found life much easier on Wednesday, going for 17 and 18 points, respectively. The starting backcourt combined for 11 field goals after going for just six against Brown.
"The offense [Welsh] put in for this game, it allowed a lot more movement and motion," said Efejuku.
The past few seasons have seen PC crumble like a piece of paper down the stretch. Not so on this night. Up 55-51 inside eight minutes, Providence actually stretched out the lead instead of handing it off. A jumper by Herbert Hill put PC up 59-51 at 5:59.Hill sent Jared Dudley's attempt packing, then found Efejuku streaking down the court for a slam and a 10-point Friar advantage, 65-55, at 2:24. Dudley got a friendly bounce on a 3-pointer to bring the Eagles within seven inside two minutes, but BC would draw no closer. Dudley finished with 17 points while sophomore Tyrese Rice notched 19.
Despite Sean Williams achieving a nuts-and-bolts double-double (school-record 12 blocks, 10 rebounds), the Friars weren't scared off. Williams got a tad bit too aggressive early in the second half, called for goaltending on consecutive PC possessions."Coach told us to keep going after [Williams], get him in foul trouble and then he'll start jumping," said McDermott. "That's exactly what happened. He tried to block everything."
The Friars couldn't have asked for a better start. Dudley and Williams were whistled for infractions in 14 seconds in. PC made five of its first 10 attempts from the floor, spurting out to an 11-4 lead. The 11 points the Friars scored in four-plus minutes nearly equaled the 14 they compiled in the second half against Brown on Saturday.
Providence went into a lull when Hill went to the bench with his second foul at 15:29, missing seven straight shots. The Eagles, more of a running club these days after Craig Smith ruled the low post the last four seasons, blitzed the Friars for a 10-0 run, taking a 12-11 lead on two Tyrese Rice free throws.Williams returned Wednesday from his two-game absence (violation of team rules), haunting the Friars like he did two years ago as a freshman when he achieved a personal-best 16 points in one game and eight rejections in another.
PC felt the wrath of the Houston native, whose eraser tactics made life miserable for the home club in the paint. Williams' strength is his help defense, which is how he compiled his six first-half blocks. Efejuku tried to navigate around the 6-foot-10 junior, but instead had his shot swallowed up in what appeared goaltending.
Kale gave the Friars tough minutes, scratching and clawing his way for nine points and three rebounds in the first half. Down 21-20, PC collected the next seven points, and in the process neutralized Williams for the final 4:01. After picking up his second foul of the half at 5:15, BC coach Al Skinner allowed Williams to remain in, a mistake compounded when Efejuku drew contact.
The Eagles wiped out a 33-27 hole in no time. Marshall scored on a play from Rice, then Dudley nailed a jumper to bring BC within a duce. Marshall proceeded to steal the inbounds with 30 seconds left, then with time expiring swished a corner shot to send both clubs off tied at 33-all at the half."When you get whacked on the head like we did Saturday, especially with a young team that hasn't established anything, it almost like you've got to be a coach and re-teach how to attack the zone, but you've got to be a little bit of a psychologist," said Welsh. "The vocal leadership comes from our young guys, and they don't know how to react to certain things at times."We've got to understand that we're a good team, which I believe we are," he continued. "One of the reasons why we proved it is because we showed a bounce-back ability."
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RIM RATTLERS: PC's all-time record against ACC schools improves to 83-76. The Friars will get another chance top up the ante when they visit Florida State next month ... The victory for the Friars is their first over a top-25 club since '04, a span of 16 games ... Just a friendly reminder: Sunday's game against George Washington is a 7:30 p.m. start instead of the regularly scheduled 6 o'clock.
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