Defense, Paint Dominance, and Stefan Vaaks in the Clutch: How Providence Beat Penn State at Mohegan Sun

Providence needed this one.

They needed a résumé booster, they needed to get off the schneid at Mohegan, and they needed to show they could win on a night when their offense wasn’t clicking.

Despite a back-and-forth first half, as this one unfolded it just felt like the Friars were better than Penn State — more athletic, more experienced, and more physical. Yet, the Nittany Lions cut a 12-point lead to 1 with just over three minutes left — so Providence was going to have to earn this one.

That’s just what they did.

Penn State scored just two points over the final 3:50, as the Friars closed on a 13-2 run behind a pair of 3-pointers by freshman Stefan Vaaks — the first on a play drawn up out of a timeout with 1:58 on the clock, while the second was the ultimate “no, no, no, YES!” dagger 25 seconds later.

Vaaks’ second three was set up by his defense, with him jumping the passing lane for a steal before he decided to go for the kill.

So, on a night in which PC shot 18% from beyond the arc (6-33), they still took home a 77-65 victory. They did so because they held Penn State to 33% shooting, enjoyed a 17-4 edge in points off turnovers (against a team with one of the lowest turnover rates in the country), and outscored them 42-24 in points in the paint and 19-4 on the break.

“We just kept fighting,” head coach Kim English said. “We took another step in the right direction in terms of first shot defense. (We) could have defensive rebounded a little bit better, but I’m proud of our guys for just finding a way.”

“I thought our group did a lot of good things, just focusing on Providence. It wasn’t about the name on the back of that jersey, they played the game for the name on the front of that jersey.”

Oswin Erhunmwunse was the anchor inside, setting the tone offensively with seven early points, blocking four more shots, and finishing with 11 points and eight boards — with five rebounds coming on the offensive end.

Owning the paint was going to be essential in this one, and Erhunmwunse sent a message in the early going.

Penn State came into Saturday’s contest taking the highest percentage of their shots at the rim of any team in the country, but they finished with 24 paint points — a stark contrast from PC’s first two high major opponents. Virginia Tech had 48 points inside in their OT win at Mohegan, while Colorado lived in the paint against the Friars (54 points).

“They’ve been really efficient from the paint,” English said. “We’d struggled with keeping teams out of the paint — that was in transition, that was in guarding the ball, and lastly on the backboard.”

“I thought we did a pretty good job guarding the ball. Transition defense at the end wasn’t great, and offensive rebounding wasn’t great throughout,” he said of the interior defense. “That’s been our area of focus, and the last two games we’ve limited paint production. We’ve limited layups. If you’re going to hold teams below 40% you just can’t allow them to shoot layups.”

Meanwhile, Providence’s 42 points in the paint marked the sixth time in six games that they’ve scored 40+ points on the interior. Their average of 45.0 points in the paint ranks in the 97th percentile nationally.

“As the game of basketball evolves, with the three point shot, with pace, and all of this fun, attractive stuff, the game’s still won and lost in the paint,” English shared.

PC’s 94.9 Defensive Rating (points allowed per 100 possessions) was their best of the season:

The difference in this one may have been the first minute of the second half, as Providence ripped off an 8-0 run behind a Jason Edwards layup, a Jaylin Sellers dunk off a steal, and a corner three from Vaaks after a stop.

A 39-31 lead felt significant after how the first half transpired, and Penn State spent the rest of the game playing uphill.

Vaaks (15), Edwards (14), and Sellers (13) all scored in double figures, despite combining to shoot 5-28 from beyond the arc. Edwards took 11 free throws, however, while Vaaks handed out five assists, and Sellers did damage in transition.

Corey Floyd Jr. isn’t back at full strength after turning his ankle in practice earlier this week, but he gutted out nine points, five rebounds, and three assists, while getting to the line in a key moment during PC’s closing 13-2 run.

Providence also benefitted from one of those Ryan Mela games, as the sophomore closed a busy night with seven points, nine rebounds, and five assists, despite struggling to finish (2-9 FG). Like Floyd, Mela hit a pair of free throws late to set up Vaaks’ clutch heroics.

Despite all of the focus on the defense in the opening month of the season, Providence still feels like it has room for growth offensively as well. Their formula has included great efficiency inside the arc (61.2% shooting — 91st percentile nationally) and at the free throw line (78.9% — 91st percentile), and keeping turnovers low (12.0% TO percentage — 88th percentile).

PC is shooting just 30.6% from three this season. They’ve made fewer than 30% of their attempts beyond the arc on three separate occasions (versus Holy Cross, Colorado, and Penn State). On Saturday, they missed a lot of good looks, while some second-half misses came on less-than-ideal shot selection as Penn State switched the zone.

This staff is committed to letting their players shoot with confidence and without that, Vaaks most likely isn’t pulling up from three late and putting a dagger in the heart of Penn State.

“Kim keeps saying that you’ve got to keep shooting. That was my mindset,” Vaaks said of his late-game shots. “When I was shooting that (his final three), I was thinking that it was going to go in, so I made it when the team needed it the most.”

The Friars’ rotation was short Daquan Davis (who English termed “week-to-week”) in the postgame, while veteran Duncan Powell continues to work his way back after taking a hit in practice. English said he’s doing well and the two had just FaceTimed after the win.

Next, Providence faces a significant test out in San Diego this week when they take on Wisconsin in their first matchup of the Rady Children’s Invitational. A win in that one, and they most likely take on defending national champion Florida.

It’s a test, but it’s also a tremendous opportunity with the Big East potentially lacking in quality victories this season.

But for now, everyone in Providence can take an ever-so-slight sigh of relief after the Friars took a step forward defensively, beat Penn State when their offense was off, and left Mohegan Sun with a W.