Friars’ Freshmen Shine as Providence Rolls Past Rhode Island, 90–71
Behind a breakout performance from their freshman duo and a dominant second-half surge, the Providence College men’s basketball team powered past in-state rival Rhode Island, 90–71, on Saturday, Dec. 6 at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Freshmen Stefan Vaaks and Jamier Jones each poured in 18 points to lead the Friars, showcasing a blend of shot-making and athleticism that ignited the home crowd. Jones delivered 14 of his career-high 18 in the second half and finished a perfect 7-for-7 from the field, while Vaaks drilled a career-best six three-pointers and added four assists and a team-high three steals.
Junior guard Jaylin Sellers recorded his first double-double of the season with 14 points and 10 rebounds, helping Providence pull away in the final 20 minutes to secure its fourth straight win over the Rams.
“It was a good atmosphere, I thought our fans were great,” Head Coach Kim English said. “URI is one of the oldest teams in the country, and they play hard. Really impressed with Vaaks, especially, responding with a big swing after the 14–2 start.”
Rhode Island opened the game with early energy, surging ahead 14–2 behind an 11–0 run. Providence’s slow start flipped instantly thanks to Vaaks, who caught fire from deep—burying four consecutive threes on four possessions to tie the game at 14 heading into the first media timeout.
Sellers’ transition three moments later gave the Friars their first lead, 17–15, capping a 15–1 run. After URI briefly evened the score at the line, Jamier Jones delivered a highlight-reel two-hand dunk in traffic to swing momentum back to Providence.
The Friars continued to find rhythm offensively. A corner three from Jason Edwards set up by Jones—sparked a 7–0 run that pushed the lead to 28–19 and forced a URI timeout with 8:15 left.
URI responded with an 8–0 run of its own before Sellers halted the push with a reverse layup. Vaaks added a steal and coast-to-coast slam to tie the game at 32, then hit his fifth three of the half after an offensive rebound by Oswin Erhunmwunse. A late corner triple from Corey Floyd Jr. extended the Friars’ lead to 41–37, where it remained at halftime.
Providence shot 51.7% in the opening half and knocked down 9-of-19 from deep. Vaaks led all scorers with 17 first-half points, while Sellers contributed 10 points and five boards. PC also forced seven turnovers, converting them into a 12–2 advantage in points off giveaways.
The Friars opened the second half with a Mela free throw and a Floyd floater, but URI hung close and trimmed the margin to 49–48 by the first media timeout.
A pivotal stretch came at the 14-minute mark: a steal by Edwards led to a transition alley-oop from Sellers to Jones, reigniting the Friar momentum. After a few back-and-forth possessions, Providence erupted with a decisive 13–0 run, fueled by multiple buckets from Jones and strong interior play from Erhunmwunse.
Vaaks found Erhunmwunse for an and-one finish to give Providence its first double-digit lead of the day at 9:14, and from there the Friars never looked back.
Jones punctuated the run with a soaring windmill dunk off a long outlet from Duncan Powell, stretching the lead to 73–60 with eight minutes remaining. Moments later, Edwards drained a deep step-back three from the logo, igniting the AMP as the Friars pushed ahead 78–60 with just over four minutes left.
Five straight made field goals, three from Edwards extended the lead to 88–65, Providence’s largest of the afternoon. The Friars closed out the victory comfortably, improving to 647–249 all-time at the Amica Mutual Pavilion.
Providence returns to the Amica Mutual Pavilion on Tuesday, Dec. 9 to host Brown University at 7:30 p.m. on truTV.