By Kevin Ryder
For The Daily Item
PROVIDENCE, R.I. -- For the second night in a row, Bucknell couldn't execute in the final minutes, dropping a 76-65 decision to Providence on Saturday.
The Bison, 0-2 in the World Vision Invitational, hung tough early against the Friars until a dry spell from the field over the final four minutes cost them. After a hoop from GW Boon with 3:37 remaining, BU would connect on just one more field goal the rest of the game, a three from Bryan Cohen in the final minutes after PC (2-0) had stretched the lead into double digits.
"I thought the kids really competed and played hard," said Bucknell head coach Dave Paulsen. "The kids are disappointed, which speaks to their belief that they can win this type of game."
The size of the Providence front line played a big role in the outcome, as the Friars outrebounded the Bison 46-31, including 24 offensive rebounds which led to 19 second-chance points for PC.
"On a short turnaround, we handled the Providence pressure," said Paulsen, whose team committed just 11 turnovers, compared to 16 Friday night against Mercer. "We talked about having poise, which I think we did. The other key was keeping them off the glass, which we didn't do."
Surprisingly the Friars didn't have anyone grab double-digit rebounds, but every player who entered the game had at least one, led by nine from 6-foot-8 Bilal Dixon and eight by guard Brian McKenzie.
"It seemed like they had eight, nine 10 chances at times," said Paulsen. "(Providence) did a good job, it was their advantage. It's good for us to play a game like this because we won't see a team attack the glass like this in the Patriot League."
One positive for BU from the game was a better defensive effort. After allowing Mercer to shoot 52 percent from the field Friday night, the Bison held PC to 38.5 percent shooting (25-for-65) including 31 percent (10-of-32) from 3-point range.
"I was really proud of them," Paulsen said. "We played a gutsy, smart game. We just couldn't match them physically on the glass."
After taking a 36-35 lead into the second half, the Bison stretched the lead to four points after a rebound and put back by Joe Willman. They still enjoyed a three-point lead after a jumper from Bryan Cohen just 60 seconds later.
But Providence started to connect from both behind the arc and at the free throw line, which was a result of aggressive play around the basket. First, Duke Mundy drained a pair of treys to give the Friars a 48-45 lead, and then a trey from Brian McKenzie gave PC the lead for good at 56-53 with 7:15 remaining.
Bucknell still had a chance when it cut the deficit to four points (65-61) after two free throws from Boon. But the Friars were able to counter with a nifty move to the hoop by Jamine Peterson and a three in the corner from Sharaud Currry to ice the game with 90 seconds on the clock. The Friars also hit 6-of-7 free throws in the final three minutes.
Cohen led all scorers with 18 points, including 4-for-7 from behind the arc, while Shazier added 12 points, six rebounds and three assists and Willman contributed 11 points and six boards. For Providence, Curry led the way with 17 points and Vincent Council and McKenzie each added 10.
The Bison take on Bryant at noon today.
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