Five Providence players scored in double figures and the Friars overcame a subpar shooting night to defeat visiting Milwaukee 79-69 on Saturday.
Sophomore guard Jayden Pierre scored a team-high 16 points for Providence, which shot 39.4 percent from the field (26 of 66).
Garwey Dual (14 points), Devin Carter (13) Josh Oduro (13) and Bryce Hopkins (10) also scored in double figures for the Friars (2-0), who opened their season with a 78-59 victory over Columbia. Oduro also had a game-high 12 rebounds on Saturday.
Milwaukee received a game-high 33 points from junior guard/forward BJ Freeman, who led the team in scoring (18.2 points per game) and shared the team lead in rebounding (5.1 rebounds per game) last season. Freeman was suspended for Milwaukee’s season-opening victory over Wisconsin-Stout for violating team rules.
Freeman was 10 of 26 from the field, made each of his 11 free-throw attempts and had a team-high 10 rebounds. He left the game with 10:19 to play after injuring an ankle when he landed after taking a fadeaway jumper but returned to the floor moments later.
The Panthers (1-1) sliced a 13-point halftime deficit to seven, 56-49, on a Freeman free throw with 10:59 to play, but failed to get any closer.
Erik Pratt scored 12 points and was the only other Milwaukee player in double figures. The Panthers shot 3 of 17 from behind the 3-point arc.
A Carter 3-pointer capped a 15-6 spurt at the end of the first half that gave Providence a 39-26 advantage at halftime. It was Providence’s largest lead in the period.
Freeman scored 13 of Milwaukee’s 26 points in the first half. Carter led Providence with 11.
The Panthers misfired on eight of their nine 3-point attempts and were outrebounded 27-16 in the opening 20 minutes. The Friars had 13 offensive rebounds in the half and 19 in the game.
The victory improved Providence’s all-time record against Horizon League opponents to 8-0.
–Field Level Media