WASHINGTON (AP) — Ed Croswell scored a career-high 25 points and No. 20 Providence easily dispatched last-place Georgetown 88-68 on Sunday despite leading scorer Bryce Hopkins matching his season low with six points.
The Friars (21-8, 13-5) got double-digit performances from Jared Bynum, who had 18 points, and Noah Locke and Devin Carter, who each added 12. That helped Providence bounce back from its largest loss of the season — an 87-69 defeat at No. 18 UConn on Wednesday — as it continues to position itself for one of the top seeds in the Big East Tournament.
Primo Spears had 26 points to lead Georgetown (7-23, 2-17), which has lost 13 straight games against AP Top 25 teams dating back to its surprising 2021 Big East Tournament championship under coach Patrick Ewing. The Hoyas also have lost their last 11 games at home to ranked opponents, last beating then-No. 25 Creighton on Jan. 15, 2020.
Hopkins, who was averaging 16.8 points per game, was whistled for three fouls in a 50-second span within the first four minutes and quickly found a seat on the Friars' bench. He scored just two first-half points and finished with six.
With the Kentucky transfer stuck on the sideline, the Friars went on a 24-7 run over the next eight minutes to turn a 9-8 deficit into a 32-16 lead. Providence took a 46-27 lead into halftime behind 15 points from Ed Croswell while Devin Carter added 10. The Friars held the Hoyas to 33% shooting while shooting 49%.
Georgetown opened the second half on a 12-3 run fueled by four 3-pointers to pull within 49-39. The Hoyas would never get closer and trailed by as many as 27 after two Croswell free throws with 10:57 remaining.
BIG PICTURE
Providence: With two games remaining, the Friars have a chance to break the school record for conference wins in a season, which was set in 2021-22 when they finished 14-3. Coach Ed Cooley has guided Providence to double-digit conference wins in 8 of the last 10 seasons.
Georgetown: The Hoyas finished the home portion of their schedule at 5-12, setting a program record for most home losses in a season. The previous record of 11 home losses that set last season.
UP NEXT
Providence: Hosts No. 16 Xavier on Wednesday.
Georgetown: Concludes the regular season at No. 19 Creighton on Wednesday.
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