A Revealing Night: Providence Rolls Past FDU, Identity Still in Focus

Jaylin Sellers led the Friars -- on the floor and after the game.

Providence set its high for assists under Kim English in a 30-point victory over Fairleigh Dickinson on Tuesday night, but you’d hardly know it based on the postgame press conference.

Jaylin Sellers was terrific on the floor on Tuesday and equally good afterwards. He enjoyed his best shooting night as a Friar and played with an uptick in energy on the defensive end.

Sellers was flying around the court, and it was evident he was looking to set the tone.

Starting alongside Stefan Vaaks, Ryan Mela, Corey Floyd Jr., and Oswin Erhunmwunse, Sellers led an outstanding start for PC. By the under-16 timeout, Providence led 18-5 behind 7-9 shooting from the floor, 4-4 beyond the arc, and four early assists from the freshman Vaaks.

By halftime, Providence led, 52-21. They had 16 assists in the first half, held FDU to 23% shooting, and consistently made the right decisions offensively.

The second half saw the Friars let go of the rope, as FDU scored 43 points in what was ultimately a 94-64 Providence victory — a game in which PC finished with 28 assists, setting a new high under English.

Sellers deflected any questions about his big night offensively (21 points on 8-10 from the field, 5-6 from three), instead focusing his thoughts on the team’s defense, his desire to lead, and mistakes they made in the second half.

When asked about his big scoring night: “My mindset was on just leading the team and making sure we’re focusing on defense. I was just worried about leading my team.”

On the defensive slippage in the second half: “We slacked off. They made shots. We had a few plays where we didn’t have a high hand. I feel like it started with me just on the first shot. We know we have to watch the second half and watch this game like we lost.”

When asked about regaining his outside shooting form: “I’ve just been focusing on leading the team. If the shots go in I’m always grateful because I put in the work, but my main focus is just making sure that I lead the guys.”

Providence’s leading scorer on the night was Jason Edwards, the Vanderbilt transfer who came off the bench for the second consecutive game. Edwards finished with a team-high 24 points on a team-high 14 attempts from the field.

He shot an efficient 8-14 from the floor (4-9 from three) and added three assists with zero turnovers in 23 minutes — but if he’s enthusiastic about coming off the bench it certainly didn’t look that way after the game.