Friars Stay Hot, Hold Off Brown 86–79 Behind Balanced Scoring Effort
The Providence College men’s basketball team continued its strong early-season form on Tuesday night, defeating the Brown University Bears, 86–79, at the Amica Mutual Pavilion. Graduate guard Jaylin Sellers (Columbus, Ga.) and freshman Jamier Jones (Sarasota, Fla.) powered the Friars with 16 points each, headlining a night in which Providence showcased its depth, efficiency, and athleticism across all 40 minutes.
The victory marks the Friars’ third straight game shooting 50% or better in the first half and their second consecutive contest with five players scoring in double figures. Graduate guard Jason Edwards (12), freshman Stefan Vaaks (10), and sophomore Ryan Mela (10) all joined Sellers and Jones in double-digit scoring.
After the game, Head Coach Kim English praised his group for another step forward in their development.
"I think we took a couple of steps forward," English said. "We have to get back to it and get ready for a really good Butler team Saturday."
Providence wasted little time establishing momentum. Ryan Mela opened the scoring with a three off a feed from Vaaks less than a minute into the contest. Moments later, Mela added a smooth spin-move layup, and the Friars were off and running.
A highlight-reel sequence followed at the 16:31 mark: Jaylin Sellers sliced through the lane for a layup, and on the ensuing defensive possession, Mela jumped a passing lane and delivered a behind-the-back assist to Corey Floyd Jr. for a two-handed finish.
The Friars led 9–4 at the first media timeout and continued to push the pace. Jones showcased his athleticism with a coast-to-coast finish through contact, while Oswin Erhunmwunse protected the paint with a strong block that turned into transition points.
Brown briefly tied the game at 16, but Vaaks responded with an and-one finish at the rim. Sellers then buried a three-pointer off a kick-out from Edwards, and Providence regained control entering the under-eight timeout.
One of PC’s best sequences of the half came moments later: Peteris Pinnis poked a ball free for a steal, Vaaks pushed the break, and Edwards completed the give-and-go alley-oop for a 31–25 advantage.
Brown responded with a 6–0 run of its own, but timely free throws from Cole Hargrove and a composed drive from Edwards helped Providence carry a 42–37 lead into halftime.
Sellers led the Friars with 11 first-half points, while Brown’s Landon Lewis paced all scorers with 13.
Mela picked up where he left off, drilling a three to open the second half, and Hargrove followed with a put-back dunk that electrified the home crowd. Edwards added a pair of free throws and Erhunmwunse muscled in a layup to push the lead to double digits, 51–40.
Jones then took over. The freshman erupted for back-to-back dunks, extending Providence’s lead to 55–42 and forcing a Brown timeout. His relentless attacking kept Providence in front even as Brown’s offense heated up.
A pair of Bears threes trimmed the lead to four, but Erhunmwunse steadied the Friars with an and-one finish and later a put-back layup. Sellers delivered a crucial midrange jumper and a deep three to stretch the margin back to eight.
In the final minutes, Providence’s balance and execution proved too much. Jones cleaned up the offensive glass for another key bucket, and with 2:48 remaining, Floyd Jr. found Vaaks for his first three of the night, restoring a double-digit lead at 81–71.
Sellers put the exclamation point on the evening with an alley-oop connection to Jones in transition, sealing the 86–79 victory.
Providence hits the road to open Big East play, traveling to Butler for a 2:00 p.m. tip on Saturday on TNT/truTV.