National Basketball Association
BOXSCORE | RECAP
Providence 80, Rhode Island 61
When: 7:00 PM ET, Friday, December 23, 2011
Where: Thomas & Mack Center, Las Vegas, Nevada
Officials: # Tim Clougherty, # Karl Hess, # Earl Walton
Attendance: 7657

Bryce Cotton scored a game-high 19 points as visiting Providence won its seventh consecutive game with an 80-61 victory over Rhode Island on Friday.

Gerard Coleman had 16 points and Vincent Council - the team’s leading scorer - finished with 15 for the Friars (11-2), who took a 35-33 lead into halftime despite shooting only 11-for-21 from the free-throw line.

Providence increased its lead to double digits midway through the second half on LaDontae Henton’s jumper with 12:08 left.

The Rams (1-11) lost their eighth straight game and fell to 1-6 at home. Jonathan Holton had a team-high 15 points while Orion Outerbridge and Mike Powell added 13 apiece for Rhode Island, which shot 31.2 percent from the field and was only 3-for-19 from 3-point range.

Jamal Wilson, the Rams’ leading scorer, finished with five points on 1-of-12 field goal shooting.

Providence led the entire second half. Rhode Island closed the gap to one point on two separate occasions after the break, but the Friars went on a quick 8-0 spurt, taking a 49-40 advantage on Cotton’s 3-pointer with 14:07 remaining.

This was Providence’s final non-conference game before they open Big East play at St. John’s on Tuesday.
Top Game Performances
 
Providence   Rhode Island
Bryce Cotton 19 Scoring Jonathan Holton 15
Vincent Council 6 Assists Mike Powell 5
Brice Kofane 10 Rebounds Jonathan Holton 6
Bryce Cotton 7 Free Throws Made Jonathan Holton 5
Bryce Cotton 3 Steals T.J. Buchanan 2
Ron Giplaye 2 Blocks Jonathan Holton 4
Team Stats Summary
 
Team Points FG% 3PM-3PA FTM-FTA Assists Rebounds Blocks Steals Turnovers
Providence 80 48.3 2-9 22-35 15 42 5 9 16
Rhode Island 61 30.3 3-20 18-24 14 29 7 8 11