The limited information leaking out of the Dunkin’ Donuts Center on Saturday afternoon was all good news for Providence.
The Friars rallied to slip past Purdue, 89-88, in an overtime thriller. This was one of the NCAA’s sanctioned closed-door scrimmages played by men’s basketball teams prior to the Nov. 9 opening of the regular season.
Providence faced a 14-point deficit with 10:12 to play in regulation before rallying. The Friars used a 10-0 run over the final eight minutes to pull within striking distance and forced a 76-76 tie into the five-minute extra session. The Boilermakers enjoyed a 40-37 halftime lead and trailed for less than 10 minutes in all.
All five Providence starters — Jared Bynum, Al Durham, A.J. Reeves, Noah Horchler and Nate Watson — played at least 31:40 and reached double figures. Bynum and Durham each collected 19 points and five assists to lead the way.
“I’m proud of our guys,” Durham said in a video statement provided by the Friars. “I feel like this is a great start to an amazing season we’re going to have.”
The Friars tightened up on defense throughout the course of this one to give themselves a chance. The Boilermakers shot a blistering 60% from the field in the opening half but connected at just 46.9% from there. Providence did a particularly good job adjusting at the 3-point line — Purdue went 7-for-11 from deep in the first half but just 3-for-11 the rest of the way.
“We played hard on defense,” Durham said. “We had a few mistakes, but I think we’ll clean that up with time. We showed resilience.”
Deep shooting was a weakness for the Friars in a 13-13 finish last season, as they hit on just 32% of attempts from 3-point range. This one-game sample suggested improvement, as Providence went 11-for-21. Reeves went 3-for-8 as part of his 13-point effort while his teammates were a combined 8-for-13.
“I feel like today was a very good first step for us,” Durham said. “I feel like it will lead into our first game next week.”
Jaden Ivey led five Boilermakers in double figures with 18 points. Trevion Williams, an All-American candidate in the frontcourt, added 17 off the bench on 7-for-8 shooting. Williams was the primary contributor to Purdue’s 30-8 advantage among the reserves.
The Friars coasted to a 107-71 victory over Stonehill in their exhibition opener last week and will now prepare for their first home game downtown in more than 20 months when they host Fairfield next Tuesday. Tip is set for 7 p.m. and will be carried on Fox Sports 1.
On Twitter: @BillKoch25
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