Wednesday, March 10
New York, N.Y.
8:00 P.M. CT
DePaul University
5-13,2-13Big East
70
vs
62
Providence
13-13,9-10Big East
1
2
F
DePaul
35
35
70
Providence
36
26
62
Freeman-Liberty and Moore Lead Blue Demons Past Providence and Into Quarterfinals
3/10/2021 11:42:00 PM | MEN'S BASKETBALL
Duo scores 21 points each as DePaul wins its BIG EAST Tournament opener for second straight year
NEW YORK – Javon Freeman-Liberty and Charlie Moore scored 21 points each and the Blue Demons never trailed in the second half as they knocked off Providence, 70-62, in the first round of the BIG EAST Tournament. With the win, DePaul advances to Thursday's quarterfinals against third-seeded Connecticut.
Moore knocked down a three-pointer and David Jones scored on putback as DePaul jumped out to a 5-0 lead.
The Blue Demons continued to put the pressure on early forcing a pair of Providence time outs in the first nine minutes of the game. A baseline drive and score for Freeman-Liberty caused the second time out with 11:41 left and the Blue Demons holding a17-8 advantage.
Charlie Moore's third three-pointer of the first half pushed the lead up to nine, but the Friars got back in the game with eight straight points and eventually took the lead on a three-pointer by Brycen Goodine with 6:41 until halftime.
Providence (13-13) went up four twice in the final minutes of the first half before Freeman-Liberty's bucket on DePaul's final possession made the 36-35 in favor of the Friars at the break.
Nick Ongenda put DePaul up 47-40 less than five minutes into the second half. Nate Watson led another Providence comeback and he tied the game at 51-51 with nine minutes left. After the two sides traded points and the Friars tied the score at 53-53, Freeman-Liberty beat the defense down the court and kick started a 9-2 run that gave the Blue Demons a commanding advantage with just over three minutes left on the clock.
In the final minutes, Romeo Weems gave the Blue Demons their largest lead of the night at 68-59 with two free throws before the score settled with DePaul (5-13) on the positive side of the 70-62 final.
Freeman-Liberty added seven rebounds while Moore tallied seven boards and three assists. Pauly Paulicap grabbed eight rebounds while Courvoisier McCauley scored eight points off the bench.
Watson led Providence with 18 points and nine rebounds.
DePaul and Connecticut meet in the quarterfinals at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday. The game can be seen on FS1 and heard in WIND (560 AM).
Moore knocked down a three-pointer and David Jones scored on putback as DePaul jumped out to a 5-0 lead.
The Blue Demons continued to put the pressure on early forcing a pair of Providence time outs in the first nine minutes of the game. A baseline drive and score for Freeman-Liberty caused the second time out with 11:41 left and the Blue Demons holding a17-8 advantage.
Charlie Moore's third three-pointer of the first half pushed the lead up to nine, but the Friars got back in the game with eight straight points and eventually took the lead on a three-pointer by Brycen Goodine with 6:41 until halftime.
Providence (13-13) went up four twice in the final minutes of the first half before Freeman-Liberty's bucket on DePaul's final possession made the 36-35 in favor of the Friars at the break.
Nick Ongenda put DePaul up 47-40 less than five minutes into the second half. Nate Watson led another Providence comeback and he tied the game at 51-51 with nine minutes left. After the two sides traded points and the Friars tied the score at 53-53, Freeman-Liberty beat the defense down the court and kick started a 9-2 run that gave the Blue Demons a commanding advantage with just over three minutes left on the clock.
In the final minutes, Romeo Weems gave the Blue Demons their largest lead of the night at 68-59 with two free throws before the score settled with DePaul (5-13) on the positive side of the 70-62 final.
Freeman-Liberty added seven rebounds while Moore tallied seven boards and three assists. Pauly Paulicap grabbed eight rebounds while Courvoisier McCauley scored eight points off the bench.
Watson led Providence with 18 points and nine rebounds.
DePaul and Connecticut meet in the quarterfinals at 9 p.m. ET on Thursday. The game can be seen on FS1 and heard in WIND (560 AM).
Team Stats
DePaul
PROV
FG%
.463
.351
3FG%
.250
.269
FT%
.615
.517
RB
46
35
TO
15
16
STL
8
6
Game Leaders
Scoring
Pts
21
FGM
9
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Pts
21
FGM
8
3FGM
3
FTM
2
Pts
8
FGM
2
3FGM
1
FTM
3
Pts
7
FGM
2
3FGM
0
FTM
3
Players Mentioned
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