Devin Carter poured in a game-high 22 points and Jared Bynum supplied 18 as visiting Providence extended its winning streak to seven games with a 74-59 victory over DePaul on Sunday afternoon in Chicago.
Carter made 8 of 13 shots from the field and had five steals and four blocked shots for the Friars (12-3, 4-0 Big East), who haven’t lost since Nov. 30. Bynum was 5-for-12 from the field, including 3 of 5 from 3-point range.
Providence made 24 of 50 (48 percent) shots from the field to offset 19-for-29 shooting at the charity stripe. The Friars also held a narrow 38-33 advantage on the glass.
Da’Sean Nelson paced the Blue Demons (7-8, 1-3) with 17 points and seven rebounds on 8-for-13 shooting from the floor. Javan Johnson, who entered as DePaul’s leading scorer, was held to 11 points on just 5-for-17 shooting before fouling out.
Both teams were aggressive for the entirety of the game, as the conference rivals combined for 44 fouls.
After Providence jumped out to a 19-point advantage just over a minute into the second half, the Blue Demons inched within 14 after Eral Penn made good on a layup. But the Friars received five points from Bynum during a 10-2 spurt that pushed the lead to 22, and DePaul never seriously threatened over the final 13 1/2 minutes.
Providence racked up 20 points in the paint and added another 11 off 10 Blue Demons turnovers through the first 20 minutes of action to head into the break with a 38-23 lead.
Carter led all first-half scorers with 11 points, while Bryce Hopkins chipped in with seven to go along with five rebounds. Umoja Gibson and Nelson each had seven points for DePaul.
That advantage could have been larger had the Friars not missed 6 of 12 free-throw attempts in the opening half.
Noah Locke and Bynum each sunk a 3-pointer as part of a game-opening 10-2 for Providence. The Blue Demons responded quickly, though, pulling with 13-10 when Jalen Terry connected from beyond the arc with 13:23 left in the first.
–Field Level Media