Jason Edwards returned from a seven-game injury absence to score a game-high 25 points and lead Providence to a 90-72 Big East win over visiting DePaul on Saturday afternoon.
Edwards shot 8 of 13 overall, including 5-for-8 from 3-point range, and added four rebounds and two assists in just 24 minutes as the Friars never trailed.
Jaylin Sellers added 21 points, Ryan Mela posted 16 points and eight rebounds and Oswin Erhunmwunse stacked up 10 points, 13 rebounds and four blocks for Providence (11-13, 4-9), which has won back-to-back Big East games for the first time this season.
Providence’s conference-best offense clicked at 58.9%, including 65.4% after intermission, as the hosts cruised to a 17-point halftime lead.
Brandon Maclin scored 17 points to lead three double-figure scorers for DePaul (12-12, 4-9), which has lost four straight. Kaleb Banks had 11 points and N.J. Benson 10 with seven boards.
Erhunmwunse’s dunk and Sellers’ 3-pointer helped Providence start with a 5-0 lead, but CJ Gunn opened DePaul’s scoring with a midrange jumper and capped a 7-2 run with a game-tying 3-pointer in transition at the 16:29 mark.
That would be the only tie of the game as the Friars held the Blue Demons to one field goal over the next six minutes while building their lead to double digits. Jamier Jones started the 10-2 spree with a 3-point play, then Sellers followed with a 3-pointer and a stepback jumper.
Benson’s alley-oop dunk finished a quick 5-0 DePaul burst to close within 22-16 with 9:07 left, but that inspired another big Providence run. Erhunmwunse scored eight straight, including flying in for a putback dunk and finishing an Edwards assist through traffic, to seize a 38-20 lead with 3:10 to go.
After falling behind 43-26 at the break, DePaul scored on its first six possessions of the second half — including eight points by Maclin. However, that only trimmed Providence’s lead to 51-38 as the Friars kept rolling, too.
Stefan Vaaks and Jones flushed back-to-back dunks to cap a 9-0 Friars run in just 2:02 that upped their lead to 62-40 with 12:25 to go. Providence led by as much as 27 before DePaul closed on a 11-2 run.
–Field Level Media
