Sport Shorts Jan.31- Feb. 6

by The Cowl Editor on February 6, 2020


Sports


Sport Shorts for Jan. 31-Feb. 6

by Joseph Quirk ’23

Sports Staff

Men’s Basketball:

The men’s basketball team had a big week on the hardwood this week. They played one game, Saturday, February 1, and started the month off with an away win at Butler University. Butler was ranked 16th in the nation, and the Friars were coming off a three-game losing streak that some believed killed their bid for the NCAA tournament. After a close loss to Villanova University last week, the Friars finished this time, winning 65-61. The Friars rolled out a larger lineup this week that involved bringing Luwane Pipkins ’20G and Alpha Diallo ’20 off the bench. The Friars offense operated much smoother, with better ball movement and more pick-and-roll and post plays. It also helped that Butler shot just 7.1 percent from three. The Friars’ leading scorers were Pipkins (22-3-2 with a steal) and David Duke ’22 (10-4-1). 

The Friars extended their win streak to two games after beating Creighton University 73-56 on Wednesday, February 5. A.J. Reeves ’22 led the Friars with 22 points. The Friars’s defense held the Blue Jays to 37 percent shooting from the field. The team’s next game will be this upcoming Saturday, February 8 at Xavier University. 

Women’s Basketball: 

The Providence College Women’s Basketball Team had a rough week with two road losses on Friday, January 31 and Sunday, February 2. The first of the losses came at Marquette University, with a final score of 55-85. The teams started the game close, both shooting poorly in the first quarter. Both teams dramatically improved their shooting (for the most part) each quarter thereafter. However, poor defense from the Friars and good shooting from Marquette allowed for the Golden Eagles’ efficiency to rise above that of the Friars. Marquette had more rebounds and fewer turnovers. The leading scorers for the Friars in this contest were Mary Baskerville ’22 (11-2-1 with 2 blocks), Kyra Spiwak ’21 (10-2-3 with a steal), and Chanell Williams ’21 (10-1-1 with a steal). 

The Friars then traveled to DePaul University and suffered another tough loss 71-93. The Friars found themselves struggling behind the arc, shooting worse than the Blue Demons. On the bright side, they shot significantly better than DePaul at the charity stripe, shooting 80 percent as opposed to 60 percent. The Friars were once again outrebounded and responsible for more turnovers. The leading scorers for this game were Williams (15-3-3) and Spiwak (13-3-2). Next up for the Friars is a home game Saturday, February 8 against Creighton University.

Swimming and Diving:

This past Friday through Saturday (January 31- February 1) the Providence College men’s and women’s swimming and diving teams traveled down to Berkeley Aquatic Club in New Jersey for a Tri-Meet with the Seton Hall University Pirates and Georgetown University Hoyas. Both the men’s and women’s teams lost to the both Seton Hall and Georgetown in a disappointing fashion. The men’s team lost by a total score of 553 to 122 while the women’s team lost by a total score of 503 to 193. It’s been an up-and-down season for sure in the pool for both Friars squads, and they came into this meet riding a bit of a hot streak. The men’s team came in off a two-meet win streak while the women’s team was coming in off a tie. Both squads will next compete in the BIG EAST championships in East Meadow, New York from February 26-29