Friars Stun St. John’s at the Garden and Revive Their Season

Photos courtesy of Carl Rizzo at gameone_photography

Running out of games to rewatch and numbers to dig through during Providence’s 15-day holiday break, I found myself looking back at the biggest wins from Kim English’s first season as the Friars’ head coach.

What stood out, in particular, was the fire English showed during the Big East Tournament — a run that included wins over Georgetown and Creighton before a semifinals loss against Marquette.

English seethed after picking up a technical at one point and was all sorts of fired up when his team went on runs against the Jays.

Although it’s been less than two years, I almost forgot what it looked like to see English so pumped up.

Nothing seemed to break Providence’s way last season, and they’d simply been too inconsistent in their effort and execution through 13 games in this one.

Entering with an 0-2 conference record, Saturday’s trip to Madison Square Garden was supposed to be the start of a challenging two-game stint that put the Friars in too deep a hole to overcome.

Yet, as Saturday’s thriller against Rick Pitino, Bryce Hopkins, and St. John’s transpired, Providence fans got what they’d been so desperately seeking: resiliency, edge, togetherness, and ultimately, their team making winning plays in the biggest moments.

The win answered so many questions that had been hounding the Friars:

Could they defend any better? Providence mixed in a bit of zone defense and held St. John’s to 28% shooting from the floor and 22% beyond the arc in their best defensive effort of the season.

Would they get steamrolled by Hopkins? The former Friar finished with nine points and 10 rebounds, but shot 3-13 from the field, 1-5 from three, and struggled defensively (much more on him in a bit).

Would they still play with pride despite hovering around .500 through 13 games? There were countless examples on Saturday of this team displaying that they aren’t quite ready to give up on this season just yet — from bouncing back after a 13-0 deficit, to getting into it with Hopkins and Zuby Ejiofor late in the first half, to picking themselves off the floor after the Johnnies threatened to pull away a few times in the second.

They’d competed to the wire against Butler and Seton Hall, but couldn’t close. Would this one be any different?

There were times when it looked like Ejiofor (33 points, 15 rebounds, 11 offensive boards) would win this game on his own. It’s easy to crack mentally from one player taking 23 free throw attempts, or giving up 25 offensive rebounds on the day, but PC was undeterred.

Those looking for positive signs likely saw enough fight from Providence through 37 minutes to feel as though they at least proved something in the Garden.

But unlike in their losses to Butler and Seton Hall — winnable games in which Providence did just enough to lose — they made all the biggest plays when it mattered most against St. John’s.

The Johnnies had a chance to go up 12 with just over seven minutes to play, but Hopkins missed a pair of layups. Providence responded with a Stefan Vaaks 3-pointer on the other end to stay connected.

That sequence also marked the turning of the tide:

• A minute later, Jamier Jones stole a high-low pass from Ejiofor to Hopkins and went the length of the floor to cut it to 64-57.

• Another minute after that, Jones dropped Hopkins on the type of spin move Hopkins made famous in Providence three years earlier to make it 64-61.

• On the next possession, it was Ejiofor deciding to take a jumper from the top of the key — a shot that led to a breakout dunk for Oswin Erhunmwunse the other way — suddenly making it a one-point game.

It all but became a Providence home game at that point.

Unless you were in the building, it’s hard to understand just how impactful the Friar fanbase was in this one. It was almost jarring to hear how loudly Hopkins was booed when starting lineups were introduced, and the black and white contingent roared over the final seven minutes after vociferously sharing their appreciation during a first half dust-up in front of PC’s bench.

St. John’s swung back more than once over the final five minutes, but for the first time against a quality opponent this season, it was the Friars who had their opponent wobbling and they weren’t going to let up.

Ejiofor powered his way inside for a score to push the lead back to three. Then Hopkins came out of nowhere to block Ryan Mela at the rim, and Oziyah Sellers pushed home a 16-footer to make it 68-63 with just over three minutes left.

It was the type of sequence Providence hadn’t recovered from prior to Saturday. But defense and a pair of freshmen carried them late.

First, Stefan Vaaks canned a 3-pointer while getting fouled to cut the lead to one.

Then a bit of irony hit.

Hopkins back-rimmed a mid-range jumper which Jones rebounded. Much like Hopkins had done countless times during the 2022-23 season, Jones took the rebound the length of the floor and drew Ejiofor’s fourth foul on an aggressive take to the rim.

Jones hit both free throws to push PC ahead, before Jaylin Sellers was called for a questionable reach-in that not only cost Providence a layup but gave Ian Jackson a pair at the line, which he promptly knocked down.

On the ensuing possession, Jones grabbed an offensive rebound over Hopkins, then found Vaaks open beyond the arc.

It was a spot Vaaks had been in twice already in Big East play.

He missed a great look that would have tied the game in the closing seconds of double overtime against Butler, and then forced a quick three in the final minute versus Seton Hall.

On Saturday, with the Garden at a fever pitch, Vaaks calmly up-faked a recovering Hopkins, stepped to his left, and swished home the three.

72-70 Friars.

The next possession marked another great decision from a freshman. After Joson Sanon missed a mid-range jumper, Jones went into attack mode again, drawing a foul in transition.

For English, who has preached the benefits of attacking and playing at a faster pace, Jones’ decision to attack versus walking it up the floor and milking the clock, had to have been gratifying.

Vaaks then put the game away in the final minute. He crossed over Hopkins and dished off to Erhunmwunse for a thunderous dunk to make it 75-71 PC. Vaaks then broke out for a layup to seal it after another defensive stop.

And with that, Providence got its biggest win of the season — one that everyone in Friartown so desperately needed. It was a victory grounded in the type of resiliency and toughness most questioned this team possessed.

St. John’s closed by making two of their final 13 shots from the field.

Vaaks finished with 16 points on 4-6 from three, while Jones scored 15 points to go along with 10 boards, yet the timeliness of their biggest plays exceeded their stat lines.

Bryce Hopkins Struggles (On Both Ends) in Return Meeting With Providence

Saturday was a nightmarish game for Bryce Hopkins. The graduate forward finished 3-13 from the field and 1-5 beyond the arc. He struggled to finish inside and just didn’t seem to play with any pop.

The offensive numbers were ugly, but he also struggled to stay with his man defensively. Sellers, Jones, Vaaks, and Corey Floyd all beat him off the dribble on different possessions. Jones dropping him with the spin move was the most memorable bucket, but it was a challenge throughout defensively — especially late:

Jones said he took the matchup personally. When asked why, he explained, “Him being here last year.”

“And I feel like if he was still here this year, I should still play over him.”

“Our players deserve all the credit for finding a way to win this game,” English said. “Our guys answered the bell. Obviously, they aren’t lacking for confidence.”

So, what now?

It’s hard not to be encouraged by the type of fight this group showed on Saturday. It wasn’t perfect, specifically when it came to their rebounding struggles, but the Friars rallied behind one another (and possibly their coach). It appeared as though the season was about to slip away with St. John’s and Connecticut up next on the schedule.

It’s probably why the first-half skirmish felt so significant.

Yes, it was just one victory, but it’s hard to ignore what this one said about the current group of Friars.