THE PROVIDENCE Friars pulled out a double overtime victory against the Creighton Bluejays thanks to healthy offensive production from a number of players.

The Friars were ranked lower than the opposition coming into the match in the NCAAM standings, but fought tooth and nail to grind past the Bluejays in added time. After a seesawing affair, Providence emerged eight-point victors.

The biggest factor in the match was the victors’ production from three of its starters over the course of the entire match. The trio of Devin Carter, Noah Locke and Bryce Hopkins all registered at least 20 points, and proved too much of a handful for the Creighton defence. Although the Bluejays had a healthy amount of contributors, few had the impact equal to Providence’s big scorers.

Creighton Bluejays (86) def. by Providence Friars (94)

Devin Carter – 45 min, 25 points, eight rebounds, two blocks
Noah Locke – 38 min, 20 points, five rebounds, two steals
Bryce Hopkins – 50 min, 20 points, nine rebounds, three assists

The Providence trio may have played a significant amount of minutes, but they made sure to make the most of every second on the court, each playing a crucial role.

Combining for 65 points, Carter, Locke and Hopkins were the biggest offensive influences of the match. Only one other Friar scored double digits (Ed Croswell with 14), which emphasises how vital the three players were in getting Providence to 94 points.

Hopkins was the least accurate of the trio, shooting 8/21 from the field, but he did nail two of his four attempts from behind the arc, showing a bit of range that the defence perhaps underestimated.

Locke shot the best from the field from the three players, nailing eight buckets from 14 attempts, with the high-scoring guard in his element. He also did it all in just 38 minutes, the lowest total of his two counterparts.

Leading the way in the scoring column was Carter, whose 25 points was the highest total of anyone on the court. Impressively shooting over 50 per cent from the field, he shot 9/17 and 3/5 from behind the arc.

The three players also combined for 22 rebounds, in a match that had plenty of wayward shots as fatigue began to kick in late in the match. When the game was there to be won late in extra time, it was these three players that stood up and found some crucial baskets down the stretch.

The balance of scoring from Providence ended up being the difference in one of the most exciting NCAAM matches of the season. The Friars’ being able to look to three reliable source of offence was huge and played a massive role in the outcome of the game.