Without Bryce Hopkins, Providence Basketball loses to St. Bonaventure

Providence played without Bryce Hopkins, who missed the game with a left knee injury.
The Friars struggled early, falling behind by 13 points in the first half and never gaining a lead.
St. Bonaventure dominated on the team, overtaking Providence and surpassing them on the team.

UNCASVILLE, Conn. – It proved too little, too late for Providence in this latest appearance at Mohegan Sun.

Rich Barron’s potential 3-pointer that went out and Wesley Cardet Jr.’s layup that rolled over the rim followed a series of early difficulties. The Friars never enjoyed the lead Saturday night against St. Bonaventure, even when the final horn sounded.

The Bonnies landed the first few shots in the first half and fended off some trouble in the second half. Noel Brown’s two free throws with 1.2 seconds left finally clinched a 74-70 win at the Basketball Hall of Fame Showcase, another damaging missed opportunity for Providence as it looks to build a March resume.

The Friars were desperate late for a solid non-conference win on neutral territory, but Barron’s jump shot from the left corner made it 69-66. Cardet’s chance came even later – an offensive rebound after a missed free throw by Oswin Erhunmwunse, with Providence trying to erase a 72-70 deficit. On the second attempt, Brown cleaned the glass and St. Bonaventure crawled across the finish line in front of 6,370 fans.

More:Rhode Island basketball beats Providence in annual in-state rivalry game. How it happened.

“They had some stretches in the first half where they really set the tone for the style of play,” Providence coach Kim English said. “The rest is seriously just (garbage).

“Playing hard after you’re down, playing hard after giving up a certain number of offensive rebounds – we have to be tougher.”

The Friars nearly erased their entire 13-point hole with 16:55 left, coming within one possession four times. The Bonnies have done just enough to get Providence to 0-4 on neutral sites and 0-3 against Atlantic 10 opponents this 2024-25 season. From here it’s all Big East play, starting with a visit from St. John’s on Dec. 20, and Providence figures it’ll need a healthy dose of success over the next two full months to keep its hopes up to bring about an NCAA tournament.

“When you start living or dying, when a ball clatters in or out, a referee makes a decision here or there or a whistle blows too late – so much has happened before that,” English said. “The softness at the beginning of the game means that the margins become thin late in the game.

“If you fight back and come back and all that crap – whatever. Do it early. Do it to start the game.”

More:The return of Bryce Hopkins breathes new life into Providence’s basketball season.

Bryce Hopkins missed that goal (left knee soreness) after playing 36 minutes in an overtime road win at DePaul, and the Friars were penalized without him. St. Bonaventure built a 35-26 halftime lead thanks to a 27-15 advantage at the boards, 13 offensive rebounds, a 16-7 advantage in second chances and a 22-8 team point differential. Providence didn’t score its first 2-point field goal until Cardet hit the basket at the left post with 4:29 left, shooting just 26.9% from the floor.

“I think you have to throw the first punch,” St. Bonaventure coach Mark Schmidt said. “You can’t play carefully. You can’t play on your heels. You have to attack them. You set the tone.”

This continued early in the second half as the Bonnies (10-1) threatened to pull away. Melvin Council Jr. raced to the rim for a layup and a single free throw from Chance Moore made it a 45-32 game. Barron hit back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Friars (7-5) the life they needed, and they were never too far out of striking distance the rest of the way.

“There is no ‘I’ in the team,” Council said. “We have five starters. Anyone could pursue a high or double-digit career.”

Ryan Mela was a plus-8 in 18 minutes and Anton Bonke provided a physical presence in his first appearance since Battle 4 Atlantis. Both were the spark for Providence in the second half, but the margin of error was already razor thin. Council hit Brown with a two-man set up the middle and Jonah Hinton sank a three-pointer from the left corner, two shots that gave St. Bonaventure a 55-48 lead with 9:47 left. That was typical of the rest – the brothers were getting closer, the Bonnies were always able to stay ahead.

“My team believed in me,” Brown said. “That’s where it starts. They hit me with the ball.”

Hopkins underwent an MRI, which revealed no structural damage to his knee. A team spokesman said he will be reevaluated next week before Rick Pitino and the Red Storm visit. Providence slipped to 5-4 this season without Hopkins in the lineup and has some of its toughest opponents still ahead of it.

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