No. 15 Providence holds off St John's for 6th straight
NEW YORK (AP) — Jared Bynum scored 19 points and Al Durham made eight straight free throws in the final 27 seconds as No. 15 Providence held off St. John's 86-82 on Tuesday night for its sixth straight victory.
Nate Watson scored 15 of his 16 points in the second half for the surprising Friars (19-2, 9-1 Big East), who hold sole possession of first place in the conference standings. They have their highest ranking in six years and are 19-2 for the first time since the 1972-73 season, when Hall of Fame coach Dave Gavitt took Ernie DiGregorio, Marvin Barnes and Providence to its first Final Four.
Noah Horchler added 14 points and seven rebounds to help the Friars, playing their second game in three days, win for the 14th time in 15 games. Durham was 12 for 13 at the foul line and finished with 14 points as well.
Providence went 27 for 33 (82%) at the foul line, while St. John’s was 4 of 11 (36%).
Posh Alexander had 29 points and 12 assists for the Red Storm (11-9, 3-6), both career highs for the sophomore guard. St. John's has lost six of eight.
Slumping star Julian Champagnie scored eight points on 4-of-11 shooting, held below 10 points for the fourth consecutive game after reaching double digits in 40 straight.
Champagnie missed almost nine minutes in the first half to get patched up for a cut above his right eye. He returned with 7:37 to go before the break in a game that got chippy at times.
After trailing by 10 early in the second half, St. John's rallied behind Alexander and took a 74-72 lead on his cutting layup with 3:33 left.
But then Bynum drained a long 3-pointer and two free throws to put the Friars back in front by three as the Red Storm squandered several pivotal possessions with turnovers.
Providence extended the margin to six and Durham went 8 for 8 at the free throw line down the stretch to seal it.
BIG PICTURE
Providence: A founding member of the Big East in 1979, Providence owns two conference tournament titles (1994, 2014) but has never won even a share of the regular-season crown. The veteran Friars, picked seventh in the preseason coaches poll, have a chance to change that. They started four graduate students and a senior Tuesday.
St. John's: It's been a disappointing season thus far for the Red Storm, who fell to 0-4 against Top 25 teams.
FAMILY TIES
Providence forward Justin Minaya, the reigning Big East player of the week, was raised in nearby New Jersey and requested 15-20 tickets for family and friends, the Friars said. Sitting behind the Providence bench was his father Omar, former general manager of the New York Mets just a few miles away.
Omar Minaya grew up in Queens and rooted for powerhouse St. John's teams decades ago, so the chance to see his son play so close to home at Carnesecca Arena on campus was exciting for the entire clan.
“The way we look at it is, win or lose, we feel like we've won already,” he said in a phone interview Monday night.
The younger Minaya, a graduate transfer from South Carolina, is a lockdown defender and do-it-all starting forward for the Friars who is emerging as a leading contender for conference defensive player of the year. He's become so valuable that he rarely comes off the court — the tireless Minaya had played all 40 minutes in three consecutive games and four of the past five.
His move to Providence has enabled his parents to attend most home games and even drive to several road games pretty easily.
“He wanted to experience the Big East,” said Omar Minaya. “For us, it's a lot of joy to watch him live. But also, we're proud of him because we know how much work he's put in to get to where he is today."
UP NEXT
Providence: Plays at last-place Georgetown on Sunday. The Friars won the first meeting 83-75 at home on Jan. 20 following a 12-day layoff because of COVID-19.
St. John’s: Visits longtime rival Georgetown on Thursday night at little McDonough Arena (capacity 2,500) on campus. The game was rescheduled from New Year's Day because of COVID-19. In the first matchup between the teams, Champagnie scored 25 points in an 88-69 win at Madison Square Garden on Jan. 16.
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