Post by dex on Feb 3, 2018 9:55:33 GMT -5
Here's the great Bill Koch's Piece in Today's Projo...Capitulation is an apt description
Those hoping for some fire and brimstone from Ed Cooley after his team’s capitulation on Wednesday night at Seton Hall were left disappointed.
Providence College’s coach opted to take a wider view. Cooley certainly wasn’t thrilled with the Friars’ 73-57 loss to the Pirates, a game in which his team allowed a 19-0 run in the first half and failed to seriously threaten from there. But that didn’t mean Cooley was ready to publicly air out his players with another critical matchup looming on Saturday at Marquette.
“You’ve got to take these games and learn from them,” Cooley said. “As frustrated and as upset as you can be, you’ve got another game — short turnaround — against a tough Marquette team.”
The game at Bradley Center — traditionally a tough venue for Providence to visit — represents another chance for the Friars to pick up an overdue quality road win. Providence and the Golden Eagles could both find themselves sweating out Selection Sunday without making a bit of a move over the second half of the Big East schedule.
Providence (14-8, 5-4 Big East) was just 2-for-17 from 3-point range against the Pirates, matching a season-low for makes. Kyron Cartwright and Jalen Lindsey were a combined 0-for-13 from the field, with each senior held scoreless. Cartwright added four uncharacteristic turnovers against just two assists, and the Friars’ offensive attack struggled as a consequence without its point guard making a meaningful contribution.
“In particular, our seniors didn’t have one of their better road games,” Cooley said.
Alpha Diallo was the lone Providence player to really show up, attacking from the opening tip on his way to a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds. The sophomore wing took almost a third of his team’s 57 shots and committed just one turnover in 32 minutes, a standout effort that could have proved decisive with even average games from Cartwright, Lindsey and Rodney Bullock (4-for-7, 10 points in 28 minutes).
“You’re not going to beat anybody shooting like that, especially when you’re accustomed to making seven or eight [3-pointers] in a game,” Cooley said.
The first meeting between the two teams came exactly one month ago Saturday, with Markus Howard exploding for 52 points in Marquette’s 95-90 overtime victory at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The Golden Eagles (13-9, 4-6) have lost five of their seven conference games since then, including a 92-72 home loss against Butler on Wednesday. The Bulldogs shot a sizzling 60 percent from the field and put five players in double figures, shredding Marquette’s defense for all 40 minutes.
“I’m going to really encourage our guys to keep their heads up,” Cooley said. “Don’t be down. It’s a loss on the road to a talented — which will be an [NCAA] Tournament — team. We just need to try to find a way to get on the winning side.” bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @billkoch25
Those hoping for some fire and brimstone from Ed Cooley after his team’s capitulation on Wednesday night at Seton Hall were left disappointed.
Providence College’s coach opted to take a wider view. Cooley certainly wasn’t thrilled with the Friars’ 73-57 loss to the Pirates, a game in which his team allowed a 19-0 run in the first half and failed to seriously threaten from there. But that didn’t mean Cooley was ready to publicly air out his players with another critical matchup looming on Saturday at Marquette.
“You’ve got to take these games and learn from them,” Cooley said. “As frustrated and as upset as you can be, you’ve got another game — short turnaround — against a tough Marquette team.”
The game at Bradley Center — traditionally a tough venue for Providence to visit — represents another chance for the Friars to pick up an overdue quality road win. Providence and the Golden Eagles could both find themselves sweating out Selection Sunday without making a bit of a move over the second half of the Big East schedule.
Providence (14-8, 5-4 Big East) was just 2-for-17 from 3-point range against the Pirates, matching a season-low for makes. Kyron Cartwright and Jalen Lindsey were a combined 0-for-13 from the field, with each senior held scoreless. Cartwright added four uncharacteristic turnovers against just two assists, and the Friars’ offensive attack struggled as a consequence without its point guard making a meaningful contribution.
“In particular, our seniors didn’t have one of their better road games,” Cooley said.
Alpha Diallo was the lone Providence player to really show up, attacking from the opening tip on his way to a career-high 25 points and 10 rebounds. The sophomore wing took almost a third of his team’s 57 shots and committed just one turnover in 32 minutes, a standout effort that could have proved decisive with even average games from Cartwright, Lindsey and Rodney Bullock (4-for-7, 10 points in 28 minutes).
“You’re not going to beat anybody shooting like that, especially when you’re accustomed to making seven or eight [3-pointers] in a game,” Cooley said.
The first meeting between the two teams came exactly one month ago Saturday, with Markus Howard exploding for 52 points in Marquette’s 95-90 overtime victory at the Dunkin’ Donuts Center. The Golden Eagles (13-9, 4-6) have lost five of their seven conference games since then, including a 92-72 home loss against Butler on Wednesday. The Bulldogs shot a sizzling 60 percent from the field and put five players in double figures, shredding Marquette’s defense for all 40 minutes.
“I’m going to really encourage our guys to keep their heads up,” Cooley said. “Don’t be down. It’s a loss on the road to a talented — which will be an [NCAA] Tournament — team. We just need to try to find a way to get on the winning side.” bkoch@providencejournal.com
On Twitter: @billkoch25
